Overgrowth: the 88th Hunger Games
by Johnbeerius
Summary: Something slithers across my foot. A blood-curdling scream splits through the dark arena. I'm in the 88th Hunger Games and I won't be getting out.
1. Chapter 1

**Levi Juno's (victor of the 87****th**** Hunger Games) POV**

"Overgrowth," came Lonnie's reply. I scowl and pick at the corner of the seat. I'm in the stupid Capitol again. I'd much rather be hanging out with Orion and Aaron, I missed them so much while I was away. My thoughts stray to how I had winded up speaking with an insanely old gamemaker.

~0~

"Miss Levi the victor we're going to the Capitol!" trills my insanely annoying escort that I'm still stuck with. I thought I'd be done with her after I was sent into the arena. Sadly, I'm back with her and she's more annoying than last time. I mean her name is freaking Butterini, how could she not be annoying? Then, I thought we were going to visit another super-fan or have another interview but apparently Butterini and the Capitol had other plans. Their plan showed me what idiots they really are. They took me to see all the Gamemakers. I can picture those idiots planning. _Gee let's take a girl who just won in a fight to the death with twenty-three other people and take her here. Especially when she is slightly crazy, skilled with killing and extremely pissed with us. _Again, how stupid can you get? Butterini guided me down the hall. She thrust open some huge gilded doors and behind them I find a room filled with all the gamemakers. Rage filled me. I throw myself at the nearest one and rake my nails down their face. Blood spurts from the indents and the gamemaker shrieks. In moments three huge walls of muscle pry me off of him. The head gamemaker, his nametag read Craner, sighed.

"I suspected this might happen. No matter. Miss Juno there is someone I think you'd get along with in another room. She is very kind and I expect you not to hurt her."

"Yes sir," I mock salute.

"You may take her to Lonnie now," Craner tells the men holding me. And that's how I got taken to meet Lonnie, the super old gamemaker.

Lonnie has white hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck and wrinkly old lady skin. She is the only Capitolite I've seen who embraces her true age. Craner was right though, she is very kind and I don't think I would be able to hurt her. She just looks too frail. And she's too soothing for me to even get angry. Her soft old lady smell and peaceful voice almost lulled me to sleep when I very first met her. I found that Lonnie would answer my questions, unlike everyone else I know. I had asked her how North America had gotten into turmoil and to that she had responded overgrowth.

**Lonnie's (a gamemaker's) POV**

When I thought Levi was going to be angry and unreceptive I found that to me she was instead quite curious. She asked how the Hunger Games had really started. "Overgrowth," I told her.

"That's it, everything just got overpopulated?" she further questioned.

"No but everyone started freaking out and becoming irrational and that turned to war and that turned to annihilation of mostly everything. Panem took control. The rest you know from all the many speeches you've heard."

"More importantly, why am I here? Aren't you done with me?" the blond victor asks.

"I'm sorry to say Levi, but I doubt they'll ever be done with you. As for why you're here at the moment is for the threat they make to all mentors, which you will be in a few months," I tell her.

"What's the threat?" Levi asks.

"I'm not able to tell you, but Craner can."

There's a thud and Levi jumps with a pale face of terror. I guess she isn't completely over the paranoia of the games. But I'm used to Craner's antics so I merely turn around. "The threat Miss Juno," Craner says," is that if you, as a victor of the 87th Hunger Games and important figure-head, must do as the Capitol says. Or else you, your friends, family, or anyone you have connections to are subject to torture or even death. And once again, congratulations on your win." Craner smirks. "That is all," He says before disappearing down the hall. Levi is quiet and her confidence is gone. I'm reminded that she is only a teenage girl, only sixteen.

"I'm not so sure winning was a great thing," she says softly, her gaze still turned down.

"I thought you might think that," I tell her. I then press a button on my desk. "You may come in now." Her friends Aaron and Orion come in and hug her.

"We'll just have to remind you why it's worth living," Orion says.

"Yes, it will be hard but then again, what isn't?" I tell her. Levi smiles warmly and I dismiss the group. When they have left my heart sinks. It's soon time to find twenty-four more victims.


	2. Chapter 2: District 1 Reapings: Dominate

**Beatrix Pietro's POV**

My eyes open up to the faded grey orphanage walls. I roll out of bed and throw on some training clothes. Some children are milling about, probably with pre-reaping jitters. Mrs. Caveny, the orphanage owner, eyes me strangely. She always looks at me like that. I guess it is not commonplace to be in an orphanage when your family just lives down the street. Everyone else cranes their necks to look at my thick, muscular body with a wide eyes and a tremble in their bottom lip, I don't really get why. At least Boris and Melody don't regard me like that. I grab and apple and head out the door. When I walk into the training building there are a few gasps from some of the younger careers, they back away nervously while their trainers chastise them for it. The older careers glare at me menacingly. I shrug my shoulders, why should I care? As I walk past two girls lifting weights while boys drooled near them I hear something about me. "That's Beatrix," the pretty blonde says, "she's the one who got disowned. The only one from the orphanage who trains." I walk past the girls and head to the bench-press station without a care, people always talk around me. As I lift and lower the weight my mind wanders to the last day I spent with my parents. They were hard-core trainers but where training some new clients while my little brother, Peter, and I sparred on the second floor. Peter was always complimented on how he would be a victor. He was strong, charismatic, smart, athletic, stubborn and quite the looker. But I was trained to calculate weaknesses. He was ten and much smaller than me. I took in my surroundings; there was an open window nearby. It was perfect to use as a trap. I dropped the dulled sword and charged at Peter. I bowled into him and he toppled out the window. His scream was shrill as he tumbled down. He landed directly on his head with a snap. I had looked out the window. When I saw Peter's unmoving body and weird head angle I had sighed. Oh well. Then I had moved on to the weight training station. A few seconds later I heard the shrill screams and sobs of my parents a story below. But they didn't come up until a few hours later.

"What happened?" my father had asked.

"He fell," I said simply.

"Why didn't you get help?" he asked.

"I was tired. And he was already dead, so what was I supposed to do?" Shortly after that my parents dumped me off at the orphanage muttering things about 'psychos', 'monster' and 'extreme mental disorder'. I had merely shrugged, oh well, life goes on.

I shake my head clear and focus on adding more weight to the pole. I lift until everyone cleared out and then some. When the clock chimes at the hour I put the weights away and go back to the orphanage. I wipe the sweat off with a towel and slip into the orphanage uniform; a pleated skirt and button-down shirt. I had heard Mrs. Caveny complain many times about the work she put into my uniform, how she had to get one specially made to fit me. Once I slip on my shoes I grab my toothbrush and head down the hall to the bathroom. My friend, Melody, sees me and sprints to my side.

"Hi Bea," she smiles. When she sees the clear evidence of training she frowns. "Why were you training? I've already told you a million times how cruel the Hunger Games are. I thought you agreed with me?" I open the bathroom door. Melody follows me in and continues talking. I brush my teeth and nod while she blabbers on and on about peace. I'm not honestly listening though. While she is still chattering we walk into the eighteen year old section. She is finally quieted when the mayor takes the stage. He gives his speech and is replaced with the escort. Tyesha Orie was returning, yet again, as our escort. With a smile she struts to the reaping ball and pulls out a name. I feel a slight shifting in my stomach. Certainty washed over me; I am volunteering no matter what.

"Melody Roberts," Tyesha says clearly. Melody walks to the stage with a calculating look on her face.

"I volunteer as tribute," I shout. Everyone turns their heads and I walk to the stage.

"This should be interesting," I hear the same pretty blonde say. When I arrive at the stage Melody's face breaks its mask.

"DOWN WITH THE CAPITOL. DOWN WITH CRANER. DOWN WITH THE HUNGER GAMES. DOWN WITH EVIL. DOWN WITH MURDER. UP WITH PEACE. WE NEED PEACE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE!" Melody screams louder than I ever thought possible. A peacekeeper promptly tackles her. She screeches and another peacekeeper rushes up with a pistol. He holds it against Melody's head. "Bea!" she screams, "I thought you supported me. We're best friends. I love you. Help me." I glare down at her. The peacekeeper snickers and pulls the trigger. Melody's body instantly falls limp. They drag her away.

Tyesha glares with disgust. With a shake of her electric blonde hair she walks to the boys' reaping ball and pulls out a slip. Before she can read the name a masculine voice volunteers. "Spencer Larenstien."

Tyesha smiles and I shake the brunette boy's hand. His face is dominated by a sly smirk.

**Spencer Larenstien's POV**

I send the spear flying. It buries itself into a dummy across the room. "New record," shouts my best friend, Luke, shouts.

"I can do much better," Kareen says from beside me. She flings her spear and it hits the dummy five feet farther from mine.

"No fair," I whine, "I didn't know it was a competition."

Kareen smirks, "Everything always counts. It is all a competition." I'm about to say something snarky but I'm interrupted by my dad entering the room.

"Time to get cleaned up guys," he says. Kareen forces a loud cough. My dad laughs. "And girl," he amends. Kareen tells us that she'll meet us at the square and rushes to her house. Luke and I head back to my house. He had spent the night; we had discussed my strategy for winning the games. I plan to volunteer and Luke the year after. Kareen had dibs volunteering when she's eighteen, that's a year after Luke will volunteer. So eventually we three best friends will all be victors. I slip into a blue tux while Luke spikes his hair, all the while bragging that his best friend will soon be a victor. We rush to the square, eager to get things going. We're the first ones there, followed shortly by Kareen.

"Good luck Spencer," she says. I note that she had changed into a super sexy dress. I hug her before she goes to her section and things begin. I don't start to listen until the escort gets on the stage. She calls a name but someone quickly volunteers. The girl who was reaped starts screaming all this hippy crap until a peacekeeper comes and shoots her. I let out a low whistle, that's rare for around here. The girl on stage stares at the corpse indifferently. I mentally mark that the girl on stage will be a threat. As soon as the mess is cleared away I volunteer. Rushing to the stage I quickly tell them my name and shake hands with the emotionless girl. I think the girl is the ugliest thing I have ever laid eyes on. She is bulky and muscular instead of slim and muscular. She is bigger than me and has thin, unkempt, wavy hair. Her lips are in a permanent pout and her squinty poop-green eyes are set way too far apart. Maybe she won't be a challenge sponsor wise. I'm ushered to the Justice building, Luke and Kareen rush in. They envelope me in a group hug.

"You'll do great," Kareen says.

"My little friend," Luke says ruffling my hair, "he's growing up to be a victor." We excitedly chat until they are led out the door. My parents give a brief goodbye. After them a whole bunch of people from school come and say that I'll do great, or that their money is on me. Once they were all gone a dream of me returning to the district with glory comes to mind. That dream will soon become reality.

**Beatrix Pietro's POV**

In the Justice building the only person who visits me is Boris. He clings to my leg and sobs. "I'll miss you so much!" I look down at him queerly. He continues his mental break down while I stand there. Peacekeepers have to drag him away. But when he leaves I feel my heart beat faster. It was a new feeling, but I am excited for these games.

**Here are the characters so far for reference. Sometimes I need reference because there can be too many to keep track of. Sometimes I have to make a list but here is one for you. **

**Tributes:**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career. **


	3. Chapter 3 D2 Reapings: Peacekeeper Daddy

**Chriselda Clarke's POV**

I wake up when the sun rises. I have to have time to do my hair and makeup. A girl has to do, what a girl has to do. I roll out of my pink polka-dot comforter and groggily make my way down the hall towards the bathroom. I'm intercepted by my four year old brother, Christopher. He squeals and runs into my arms. I scoop him up and twirl. He giggles madly and I tickle his chubby thighs to further instigate his adorable laugh. He finally wriggles away from me. When he is out of my reach he beams and begins to talk.

"I'm happy for you Chrissie. You're going to win!" he says. My mother appears from down the hall.

"Christopher Calvin Clarke you're supposed to be eating breakfast," she reprimands.

I smile slightly, "Better go little dude, she played the full name card. The C.C.C., that means things are serious." Christopher grins and rushes off to eat his cheerios. Humming the theme song from last year's Hunger Games, I bathe and then move on to blow drying and straightening my hair. The task of making my hair stick straight is slow going. It doesn't help that my hair is waist-length. I slip on a black halter top; a short, tight skirt and gladiator-like sandals. I apply smoky makeup and do a final brushing of my hair. I step back and admire myself. My waist-length red hair glimmers like rubies and my steel grey eyes pop and add contrast. Some may call me vain but in reality looks are a huge part of life. Some idiots tell me that's not so, that intelligence is far the superior. But I say that they need to sort their priorities. If they were truly smart they would know that beauty gets you far. Plus, intelligence doesn't let you get away with things. That's something only beauty can do.

My mind wanders and I think of Christopher. He is so innocent and at all costs I must protect him from the games. He already is going through some training. And I know how harsh it can be. My mother sickens me with her twisted desire to use me for fame and fortune. She puts me through grueling work to satisfy her own needs. My father, well, he's nonexistent to me. District Two has a little secret. We train Peacekeepers and a lot of our own become them. My father is one of those Peacekeepers. He's down in District Twelve and I hardly ever see him. But when I do I can't help but resent the fact that he is never there for us. Christopher's smile pops into my head again, at least the games haven't ruined him too much. But I've accepted my fate. It's what I was born to do. I walk downstairs and grab and apple. Before walking out the door I give Christopher a final kiss on the cheek. Outside is my best friend and training partner, Arissa.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asks.

"Just dandy," I say and take a bite of my apple. "I'm not nervous at all that I may just die within the next couple weeks."

"Just pre-game nerves; I hate 'em." Arissa is not one for words, nor is she much of a people person. She is blunt, quiet and calculating. But she is honest and cares for her friends. We walk in an understanding silence to the square. There are a bunch of excited careers milling about with beaming faces. But no one would dare take my spot as tribute this year; they're too smart for that. As we walk to the seventeen section I feel some girl's eyes full of envy burning holes through me. A lot of girls my age are jealous and vain. That's part of the reason I ended up with Arissa. Arissa hasn't judged me and is never jealous of my beauty and athletic body. I can trust her with anything, even to train hard with me. But I guess that's okay that not a lot of people like me. I don't really like them either. I kind of hate to admit but I'm not the most trusting person. My thoughts are interrupted by the Mayor's speech. I take deep breaths and try to calm my stress and, though I hate to admit it, excitement.

Our escort strides to the microphone. When he reaches in I stand dramatically. "I volunteer as tribute," I asset with confidence. I strut to the stage with a small smile curling the edge of my lips. "My name is Chriselda Clarke, and I am your girl. I'll get the job done." Our escort beams and heads to the boys' reaping ball. A boy with dark, shaggy hair leaps on stage.

"My name is Blain Spye and I'm ready to kill. I… uh…. mean win," he says with a mischievous grin. Our escort smiles and I shake Blain's hand. I can't help but think that I'll be killing him soon.

**Blaine Spye's POV**

The ants squirmed and screamed. They ran in little circles before finally falling with death. I let out a slight chuckle. How peculiar, all living things react the same within death. I walk over towards another ant hill and angled my magnifying glass in the correct position. I love the power it gives me, how easily I can control things. My mother walks into the yard. Her hair is in a beehive, apparently the latest Capitol fashion. Her lips are startlingly red and she's in a sleeveless red dress with stilettos to match. We are pretty stinkin' rich if I do say so myself. "Reapings," she says.

I jump up and sprint down to the square, blowing past my teetering mom. My heart beats fast; I'm so excited for this game. The escort and camera crews are there but it takes ten more minutes for everyone else to show up. The escort eyes me curiously while I bounce on the balls of my feet with anticipation. Finally everyone else show up and we get the reapings started. A really sexy girl with flaming hair volunteers. I make a mental note to ensure later flirting. I couldn't contain myself after that, I leaped to the stage and volunteered. I shake the girl's hand. She squeezes my hand hard. I chuckle, so she's sexy _and_ strong.

C**hriselda Clarke's POV**

The first person who shows up to bid me goodbye is my trainer, Melissa. She's the most successful trainer in all of Panem. My parents made sure to secure her as mine. She puts her muscular hands on my shoulders and looks into my gray eyes. She smiles. "Chriselda, you were one of the best pupils I've had. Now you need to think positive. You've practiced, you're ready, and you're going to win," she says.

"I am going to win," I repeat.

"Good," Melissa smiles warmly. "I'm going to miss you kid, but we'll meet again really soon. As soon as the games are done." She slaps me on the shoulder, I'm sure that is the gentlest affection she can display. "Oh yeah, remember to always slash, duck and stab." I nod at the advice and she leaves the room.

My mother and Christopher come in next. A slight mist of tears fills my eyes. I scoop Christopher up into a huge hug. He hugs me back and I kiss him on the cheek. "Ugh," he says as he wipes my kiss off. I laugh. "You're going to win Chrissie; you'll be on the television. Oh, oh and you'll bring us home money. Maybe I'll even be on T.V.," he chatters. He then smiles warmly. "I love you."

"I love you too," I say and envelope him in a final hug. My mother then promptly shoves him out the door. I stare coldly at her and she stares back with calculating eyes.

She nods with approval. "Good job Chriselda. Do our family honor," she says. I scowl slightly but I feel a faint respect that she raised the two of us on her own. She nods again before striding from the room. She is soon replaced by Arissa. She rushes in and hugs me.

When she pulls away she pulls out a ring from her pocket. "Here's your token. Christopher has the matching one, just like you told me," she says. I slip the plain silver ring on my finger and let a tear drop.

"Arissa, you know how you're going to be a trainer."

"M-hmm."

"So you're never going into the games?"

"No I am not."

"Will you take care of Christopher, just in case?"

Her eyes glisten with tears. "You know I will," she promises. When the Peacekeeper comes in to tell her to leave she gives me a quick hug before following him out.

I finger the ring. I hope it will remind me of home and of Christopher who bears the twin ring; what I have to return to. I hope it will anchor me and keep me from turning into a monster like the games have done to so many others. I shake the thoughts from my head. I have to be positive, I can do it. My name means strong, and that's just what I'll have to be to survive.

**Tributes:**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun. **


	4. Chapter 4 D3 Reapings Reduced to a Speck

**Griffin Tecknit's POV**

My alarm clock buzzes. I sniff; it smells like old peaches, which is what the alarm clock was made of. I am, as Ivy (she hates to be called mom, she says it makes her feel too old) puts it, a techie nerd. But I don't see anything wrong with it. I live in district three, might as well work with what you've got. I hopped in the shower and scrubbed clean. I tied the towel around my waist and ironed my dress pants. When those were on I slicked back my light blonde hair, might as well dress my best. I head down the hall and am greeted by the smell of fresh squeezed orange juice. Man do I love fresh fruit. Grammy frowns. She walks over to me and tucks in my shirt. I blush, the red blossoming deeply against my pale, pasty skin. Grammy smiles, now pleased with my appearance. I guess I should get used to her prim and proper ways; I mean she did basically raise me. Gramps already sits at the table. I sit next to him and he claps me on the back. "Mornin' Griffin," he barks. I nod and take a sip of the juice. A glass of juice later the bickering starts. Ivy and Mervin come down the hall. They are my parents, but refused to be called so. Ivy thinks it makes her sound old. But she doesn't look much older than Sasha, my sixteen year old best friend. My parents don't even glance at me as they continue bickering down the hall. Speaking of Sasha, I see her messy brown hair bob down the walkway. When Gramps sees her he smiles slyly. "Here comes the keeper. You better act fast, Griffin, she may be taken soon," he jokes elbowing me in the ribs.

Grammy scowls. "Griffin doesn't need to end up like his father. I am _not_ going to be a great-grandmother at fifty-five," she snaps. I scowl slightly for two reasons. First I don't like Gramps making fun of Sasha, not a lot of boys like her. She has messy brown hair and thick wire glasses. Second of all I will absolutely not turn out like my parents. My dad got my mom pregnant with me at the tender age of fifteen. I was the main gossip talk for ages. Come to think of it, I'm still the outcast. The only time people talk to me is when they say, "Hey kid, what's the answer to number eight?"

Sasha rings the doorbell. I stand up; seeing Grammy's stern look push the chair in before answering the door. Sasha beams at me. "Bye Gramps, bye Grammy," I turn and say before letting myself out.

"Ready for reapings?" Sasha asks.

"I don't think I'll ever be," I reply. We walk in silence for the rest of the way. But we don't really need to talk; just being in each other's company is good enough. Sasha is my best friend but it started as a very slow process. It began in sixth grade. She didn't skip up to me and do the girlish 'let's be best friends' but instead came to sit by me at lunch. We were both loners, no one dared sit by us. So why not sit with each other? The rest came very slowly, but now I can tell Sasha anything. She feels the same about me.

Unfortunately, once we arrive at the square we are separated. She is taken into the girl's sixteen section, and I to the sixteen year old boys. A wave of nausea smashed into me. I gripped the rope that separates us from the fifteen year old boys and clenched my eyes shut. What if Sasha gets reaped? Our even worse, what if it's me? I force myself to push those thoughts on my head. But they keep coming back. I finally result to whispering Newton's three laws, over and over. It worked; it shoved everything else from my mind.

"Spark L'or," shouts the escort. I sigh, a huge one of relief. Thank god it's not Sasha.

"Griffin Tecknit," my legs are instantly pulverized into jelly. I take a steadying breath and slowly make my way to the stage one careful step at a time.

"Oh my gosh," I hear someone grown, "you walk so slow. Hurry your butt up."

My legs wobble under my weight as I walk. I feel like a baby just learning to stand. _For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,_ I think as hard as I can. That blocks out the jeering crowd and I am able to wobble the rest of the way up the stage. I look at the audience and feel that blush spreading like wildfire again.

"Heeelllloooo," says the escort, "earth to Griffin." She is now waving her hand in front of my face. "For the third time you may now shake your district partner's hand." The words still didn't register. The escort took my hand and put it in Spark's and shook it up and down. I felt like a puppet. Finally I wobbled off the stage and into the Justice building.

**Spark L'or's POV**

_Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce._ I hop up and down, up and down. "I swear you are hopped up on caffeine," my father says.

"Or something else," I hear my brother mumble.

"Ummm, what's caffeine?" I ask my father.

He gets a wistful look on his face. "A thing that's in delicious luxuries at the Capitol," he says. My father is one of the top engineers in Three. Every once in a while he gets sent to the Capitol to show his progress. He always comes back raving about something wonderful that the Capitol has but is a mere legend in the districts.

"I can't help it daddy. I'm just so antsy. I really need to get this reaping thing done with. It stressed me out," I say.

"Yeah, and when she gets stressed she gets super hyper," my brother murmurs. An eternity later we finally arrive at the square. Fifty more years past and the escort finally reaches into the bowl.

"Spark L'or," she announces. Crap, I really need a time machine now. I gulp but decide to just be myself, even if I was scared. I bounce to the stage and curtsy to the crowd. "Griffin Tecknit," calls the escort. Ages later a blonde boy walks to stage. He's basically having a nervous breakdown. I instantly feel better about myself. At least when I came to the stage I wasn't about to wet myself with fear.

**Griffin Tecknit's POV**

Ivy, Mervin and my grandparents come in. Honestly, I think the only reason my parents are here is because Grammy forced them to. Ivy just stays stony-faced and gruff. I think she's embarrassed about my little freak-out. Mervin has concern in his eyes but nothing more, no words come from him. Grammy is bawling. Gramps has a few tears sliding down his face but with a sad smile. I hug Grammy, I guess she won't have to worry about being a great-grandmother at fifty-five; let alone at all. Gramps claps me on the back. "Go get 'em sonny. You're way smarter than the lot of them combined. Use it. And we love you. No matter what happens," he says. All too soon they are taken away.

Sasha comes rushing into the room. Her glasses are already fogged up with tears. She runs into my arms and almost plows me down. I fall back into the chair and she clings to me and cries. I run my hands through her bushy hair and hold her shaking body. When Sasha finally gets a hold of herself she unburies her face from my shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be the one crying," she sniffles. I chuckle slightly. I hold her until the Peacekeepers take her away. "Come home, Griffin," she calls as she is lead out of the room.

**Spark L'or's POV**

I press my face against the window of the train. Finally I catch a peak of my family and friends. I had already said goodbye to them. But I would miss them all terribly. I frantically wave and they chase after the train. Picking up speed, we roll past them. Until they are just blurs, tiny specks, then nothing. I feel a tear drip down my face.

**Hope you liked it. **

**Tributes:**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **


	5. Chapter 5: D4 Reapings: Win or Else

**I saw the Hunger Games trailer in the movie theatre. I started hyperventilating with excitement. I am such a nerd. **

**Tristan Rinto's POV**

Father shakes me awake. I am about to complain but then when my senses come to me I quickly clamp my mouth shut. If there's one thing I've learned, it's to never cross Father. I sit up straight and try to look alert. Father curtly nods before marching out of the room. I stretch and close the door before flopping to the ground. With my toes I grab the blanket from my bed and pull it around me. My eyes droop and I drift into a light slumber. Ten minutes later my conscience screams at me to awake. Or maybe it's my better judgment; I'd sure get a beating if Father caught me sleeping. I pop up and put on my reaping clothes. Father had chosen them for me. He said that I had to look dazzling for my volunteering. Me, I don't like to make a big deal of things. I'd rather just blend into the background. Too bad Father won't stand for this. He's a victor; he mauled everyone in his games. They called him "King of the Careers". He wants me to end up just like him. People tell me I'm almost exactly like my mother. Since I'm nothing like Father, besides build and appearance, I guess they're right. But I wouldn't know; my mother died when I was young.

I quickly push thoughts of my mother out of my head. I've learned to never dwell to long on the past. I make my way through the victor's mansion. It's such a big house for only two people. My footsteps echo in the other-wise dead silent hall. Things can be so creepy sometimes; I walk a little faster. When I reach downstairs I halt at the edge of the counter. I stand as straight as I can with my head up and hand behind my back. Father comes and does his inventory that he goes through every morning. He has to make sure that I'm groomed and dressed properly. He is a strict man, wouldn't want a wrinkle on his son's shirt. He nods curtly; I've passed his check-up. He briskly strides to the mixer and hands me an energy shake. It's his special recipe and the vilest thing on earth. But it's supposed to be super healthy and make you stronger. I plug my nose and down the whole thing. Grimacing, I clutch the edge of the counter and try to bear through the horrible taste. Father hands me a small glass of water. I drink and the taste vanishes. Father looks at me thoughtfully, "you are dismissed." I nod in acknowledgment and leave the house. I quickly calculate the time and discover I have two hours until reapings. A smile spreads across my face, a perfect time for a swim. I strip down to my swimsuit. I constantly have one on under my clothes; never know when it might come in handy. I put my clothes on my head so they won't get wet and wade into the water. I'll have to do a doggy-paddle to avoid getting my clothes wet but swimming is swimming. I spot the hazy outline of the cliff; my destination. I swim off in that direction.

When I arrive at the cliff I set my clothes on a dry rock and pull myself out. I lean against a rock and dangle my tan legs in the water. The ocean is definitely my favorite place. I love it. I love the swelling waves, the color, the noise, the smell, the creatures and, of course, the glorious feel of gliding through the water. I close my eyes and soak in the sun, listening to the waves. Unfortunately, the time passes and it's time to officially go to reapings. I change back into my suit. I stick my swimsuit under a rock; I won't need it for where I'm going next. I had chosen this cliff to sit on because on the back-side of it is the town square. All I need to go is on the little trail that leads there.

Once I'm signed in I stand at the front of my roped section. Luckily, I won't have to worry about anyone taking my spot as tribute. That's mostly because Father has advertised that I'm volunteering this year; and his bicep is as big as most people's heads. The escort takes the stage and digs through the girl's reaping ball. "Zea Chrysler," she announces. A small dark girl, with long dark hair walks to the stage. Her features look slightly elfin and she is as skinny as a twig. Nobody volunteers. I shrug; Four is a career district but it's not as strict or as often as One and Two. It's been off season for the girls for a couple of years. But that's mostly because they want to wait until they are older and more skilled. I'd wanted to do that too but Father thinks I am skilled enough at fifteen.

"Steve Nash."

"I volunteer as tribute," I shout. I march to the stage with my head held high. "Tristan Rinto," I state, kick-starting my mysterious angle. I turn to shake the girl's hand. Her head barely clears my waist. But even though she is teeny her grip is strong.

**Zea Chrysler's POV**

My alarm clock buzzes. With a reluctant groan I roll out of bed and switch off the blaring device. I throw on a dress and run a comb through my dark hair, rushing in order to get myself and my brothers ready in time. Two more alarm clocks go off and my brother, Zenos, comes into the hall with bed-head. I chuckle and toss him his shirt and slacks. "Go take a shower and then get dressed, Zenos. But hurry up," I tell him. When I hear the door shut I go into little Zeph's room. He's sitting there wide-eyed in his crib.

"Zea," he squeals. He stands up and I lift him out of the crib. Once I get him ready, Zenos is out and ready. We have a bite to eat and then rush to the reapings. Today is my first reaping, but I feel much older than twelve. With both parents dead I'm forced to take care of my two younger brothers. We basically live in a little hut and eat very little. I've dropped out of school to work full-time but it's still the best I can do. Little Zeph sprints straight to the sea. I freeze up, a flashback overwhelms me.

_Daddy's strong hands are intertwined with mine. He leads me to his fishing boat, it's the first time I've ever been but he felt it was time to show me the family business. Our little boat chugs out to deep water. "Wait here my sweet," he tells me. Smiling softly he grabs his spear and dives into the water. He's a spear-fisherman. I wait at the edge of the boat to see my father come up. He doesn't. I scan the water. Then I see it. Ten meters away is my father's upper half. The water is dyed red with blood. The bottom half of my father is gone, the ending is jagged with his guts unraveling into the water. _

Zenos' hand snaps me out of it. He had chased Zeph down; he's in his arms at the very moment. Zenos takes my hand and takes the lead to the reapings. I feel a tear slide down my cheek. Last year was when it happened, when I first went out to sea and when my dad was killed by a sea creature. I've never been able to go near the water since. Zenos squeezes my hand tighter. "Don't think about it," he says firmly. Zenos is only ten years old, but he is wise for his age. When we arrive at the square we separate. I go to the twelve year old girl section and my brothers go to the spectator section. My heart beats like a drum. The beats quicken when the escort digs through the ball.

"Zea Chrysler." I gasp; it's me.

**Tristan Rinto's POV**

Father marches in. He firmly grips my shoulders and his steely blue eyes bore into mine. "If you don't win," he says very slowly and pronounced, "I will never forgive you. Never. You will disgrace the Rinto family name and you will never, ever be forgiven." His words cut into me like knives. "But I won't have to worry about that will I?"

"No."

"What did you say boy?" he asks with steel in his voice.

"No sir," I correct.

He nods with approval. "Now, I have a token for you." He takes out a seashell necklace. "It was your mother's. I thought you might like to have it." He eyes me again. "Win, or else." With that he marches from the room. I flop back on the couch and finger my mother's necklace. I feel a tear drip.

**Zea Chrysler's POV**

My brothers turn to leave after a heart-wrenching goodbye. My heart flutters like a seagull flapping its wings. As if my life didn't suck enough. The orphanage will have to take my brothers in. That place is like a dungeon. That's why I refused it in the first place. Sobs wrack my body and I feel like I'm about to explode. I'm just so overwhelmed. I continue to sob and a Peacekeeper carries me to the train. I hardly notice when he dumps me off in a bed and leaves. I hardly notice when the train starts to move. I'm just so overwhelmed.

**I hope you guys liked it! Did anyone recognize the boy who got reaped? The one before Tristan volunteered? Brownie points if you know who he is. I couldn't think of names so I used his. **

**Tributes:**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **


	6. Chapter 6: D5 Reapings: Welcome to Hell

**In **_**the Muppets,**_** Kermit says "They just want a good show, that's all they want." Gale says the same thing. My mind is blown.**

**Azaela Mourey's POV**

My mother's annoyingly sappy voice trills through my room. "Wakeup honey." I shudder but answer the call. I stomp downstairs. Mom looks at me with calculating eyes. "Now honey," she says sickly sweet, "get dressed in something presentable." I'm about to fire back with a snarky answer but then I catch my tongue. Mom has been watching me like a hawk lately. She says that she's gotten complaints that I'm a 'poser that thinks she is too cool for school'. I wouldn't want to give her any backup to the theory, so I obediently go back upstairs and change. Tapping my chin I ponder what mother would be most happy with me wearing. I immediately skip over some of my clothes that had been dubbed 'slutty' or 'rebel'. Instead I choose a white blouse with some dark dress pants; surely that's something mom would drool over. I march back downstairs; mom is ready to inspect me again.

I cock a hip, "better?" I ask with noticeable venom in my voice. I cringe, that came out before I could stop it, hopefully mom didn't catch it. Fortunately, she didn't. She nods at my question and I follow her to the table. I plop down and automatically prop my feet up on the table. Mom glares and shoves them off. I glare into my cereal.

"Now honey, I got ten complaints yesterday about you being a bully," she says.

I groan, not this again. Luckily, mom isn't the brightest crayon in the box. She's an airhead and a pushover, but that's how I like her. "Mommy, how many times do I have to tell you? They are just jealous;" I lie, "who wouldn't be jealous of your little girl." Mother smiles fondly and her eyes lose focus for a moment.

"You're right my sweet," she chirps. I sigh with relief. Mom gets upset at my apparently 'rude' behavior but she always believes my sob story. Plus, she's always been a little bit softer with me since dad died. Part of her thinks it's just a reaction to his untimely death. But newsflash, that was six years ago and I've been causing trouble like this since I was seven. I sigh; I do kind of miss my dad. He was apparently the spitting image of me. He died when I was twelve and up until then we got along really well. We were always cracking jokes and making fun of whatever freaks would pass by. He worked, with the bulk of the district, in mutations and DNA. He died of chemical reaction with some mutt's DNA. It was gruesome.

A knock at the door shakes me from my thoughts. A smile crosses my face. My best friend, Jessica, is at the door. "Hey, Azzy," she calls. I rush to the door and let myself out. "Are you ready for reapings? I bet some kids will be so nervous they'll piss themselves," she jokes.

"It'll be quite the show. I wonder what our creeper of an escort will look like this time?" I say. We joke until we reach the square. When we're in the eighteen year old section we spy the perfect entertainment. It's Penelope; she always freaks out when we talk to her. Jessica smirks; she's thinking the same thing.

"Hello Penelope, you're looking," Jessica gives her the up down, "err… like you've seen better days."

"Are you kidding Jess?" I add. "She looks like she's been hit by a train."

"Be political about it," Jessica says in mock shock.

"Sorry, I was just telling the truth."

"Oh, I guess you're right. Honesty is the best policy," Jessica says proudly. "She does look like road kill. But enough about that. Penelope how are you feeling about reapings? You look like you're so nervous you're about to puke."

"Oh Penelope," I say, "I heard you and your family have signed up for some major tesserae. In fact so much that nobody should worry about being reaped. It will surely be someone in your family or even you." Penelope starts bawling and runs through the crowd but only to be stopped by a Peacekeeper and dragged back to our section bawling. Jessica and I burst into giggles. We high-five each other and whisper while the mayor drones on and on. We're in the middle of dishing the dirt on heart-throb Quentin Cook when I hear my name called.

I raise my hands innocently. "I'm sorry, I'll stop whispering. You have my full attention."

The escort looks really confused. She cocks her head just like a dog. "What are you talking about silly? You've just been reaped."

I feel a sinking feeling in my gut. Just like a rock dropped off of the very top of the Justice building. I gulp and try to get a hold of myself. _Kids call you a badass. You're a badass, stop, stop, calm it down. I can do it, I can do it. _I walk to the stage with my head held high. Luckily, only one tear manages to escape. Only one.

**Atlas Harper's POV**

A slice of bread for breakfast, again. Money in this household, or more appropriately this shack, is virtually nonexistent. Therefore so is our food. My mom is single and a wreck. But she's been like that for forever as far as I know. She was a trouble maker and apparently something of a slut. My dad got her pregnant when they were sixteen. The very next reaping my dad was reaped and died in the Hunger Games. He was decapitated after angering a career. I was born soon after that. So you can say my history is pretty messed up. I scarf down the slice of bread and ignore the hunger pangs. I scowl and head to the reapings; hopefully all the people will distract me from them.

The escort takes the stage. "Azaela Mourey." After a slight confusion a dark haired girl takes the stage. Her face is plagued by pimples and I instantly recognize her. She's the district's biggest bully. Well her and her sidekick, Jessica Marbles. I'm glad Azaela was reaped; it serves her right for being such a jerk.

"Atlas Harper." I gasp, but what have I done to deserve it?

**Azaela Mourey's POV**

My mother storms in. Her face is slightly blurred by my tears. I expected her to be upset but her face is blank and her eyes unfocused. "You know what honey. I think this will be a good experience for you. You'll meet some new people besides Jessica. The more friends the better," she says. She gives me a quick hug. "Anyways, good luck dearie. And have fun." And with that my mother was gone. But she was replaced by a more welcome friend. Jessica's face was as white as a sheet and tears streaked it. She grips me in an iron hug and we both sob. We hug for a long time until Jessica realized my time with her was running short. She pulls back and plucks the ring off of her finger. It's her favorite ring, her prized possession.

"I want you to have this. Remember me and remember home. But first you have to promise me to come back. Things won't be the same without you," she says slipping the ring on my finger.

I shake my head, tears splash everywhere.

"No, you have to promise me," Jessica snaps.

"I promise," I sob. Jessica gives me a quick hug before she is dragged bawling from the room.

**Atlas Harper's POV**

I'm secretly glad no one volunteered. I wouldn't have let them. I need to face this. I think I have a pretty good chance anyways. I know I'm strong. My mother comes in. She is bright red, crying and in shambles. "NOT AGAIN," she screams. She throws herself on the ground and thrashes. "NOT MY SON." The Peacekeepers hear screaming and burst in with their guns ready. The quickly grab my mother and drag her away. I stare after her in horror.

"Welcome to hell," one of the Peacekeepers sneers.

**Hope you enjoyed it. I feel weird, the ending seemed so dark but it works. Anywho, hope you liked it.**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **


	7. Chap 7 D6 Reapings Little Piece of Hope

**I have to say that the Hunger Games movie was flipping amazing. I was super scared that it was going to end up bad but it exceeded my expectations. I thought it followed the book fairly close. It was AMAZING! I went to the midnight showing and then had basketball practice at 6 AM in the morning and then school. But it was worth it. **

**Eileen McGowan's POV**

My alarm clock buzzes and I hop out of bed. On the floor sits my soccer uniform, my cleats and shin guards. I put them on and then pull my red hair into a ponytail. Walking to the field I see my friends Riley and Aaron. They jog to catch up with me. "Ready to get owned Aaron?" I ask.

"Yeah we're going to leave you guys in the dust," Riley says swishing her pony-tail sassily.

Aaron smiles slyly, "we'll see about that." We exchange some more threats until we got there. I suppose they were milder than normal, for the fact that we only threatened to flay the other alive once. Riley and I jog to our team huddle. Aaron follows us, batting his eyelashes and cocking a hip; putting on his girl guise.

"Get outta here Aaron," I say, shoving the boy. He smirks before running over to his team, the boy's team. Coach has two teams; a boy's and a girl's. We're all high-schooled aged and skilled; we had to try out. Coach says we're the elite soccer teams for District six. Therefore, he scrimmages us against each other a lot. More girls filter in and Coach shouts with his booming voice that it is time to start. All eyes look to me, I'm team Captain and Coach has no say in our scrimmages. Riley smiles at me, she's proud. I'm the first sophomore to be a Captain on one of Coach's teams. But he told me with my fiery spirit and leadership there was no one else for the job. "Amanda you're goalie. Taylor you're centre back. Riley takes forward. Shana is defense," I rattle off the remaining players that would be starting. "Now ladies, we need to stay aggressive. On three team. One, two, three TEAM!"

We jog out to our spots. The boys aren't wearing shirts to help mark the teams. "Flabby," I mouth to Aaron to tease him, despite his six-pack, muscular upper-body and toned legs. But none of that matter, he was Aaron and needed to be made fun of. We started off with the ball. Riley passes it to me and I dribble down until the first boy comes up to meet me. I swerve out of the way and speed up, losing the boy. The next two collapse on me, I juke them out. Riley cuts down near the net and I pass to her. She immediately shoots the ball and it skirts past the diving goalie and into the net.

"Nice job ladies," Coach booms, "one girls." The boys long pass the ball down the field. I race to try to intercept it. No such luck. Aaron fakes out Amanda and scores. "One all," Coach yells.

"Stay aggressive ladies," I shout to reinforce. The ball is kicked down and Mac scores. The boys take it out again. I charge forward, determined not to let them score again. The boy tries to fake me out but I slide back, staying with him. He dribbles the ball a little too far to his right. I quickly snatch it up and dribble full speed back to the net. The goalie has his game face on. I fake a kick with my left leg. Landing, I send the ball flying with my other. It flies past the goalie. The boy's team Captain shouts and the goalie is replaced with another from the bench. Taylor stops the offense and we pass down the field. The ball ends up in my possession again. I take another shot but this time the goalie dives forward and catches the ball. I frown slightly before shaking it off.

The game continues on. Goals are made and the fun time flies by. Judging from my surroundings I can tell that our scrimmage is almost over and the boys are up by one point. We cannot let them win. Aaron drives down the field with the ball. I run as fast as I can to catch him. He notices me and speeds up a little. I get into a good position and slide tackle him. I slide forward and cleanly kick the ball away. Aaron stutter-steps to avoid falling over me. My body slides forward but Aaron stumbles over my arm and falls sideways. He lands on top of me and we both let out a loud 'oomph'. His face is only an inch away from mine. His brown eyes are sparkling with something that I can't quite read. I try to get out but his body pins mine to the ground. At first I think he's about to get angry with his extreme competitive spirit but instead he smiles goofily. "Nice slide tackle," he says. He rolls off of me and onto his feet. He grabs my arm and helps me to my feet. I hear the girls cheering, we must have scored again. Aaron smiles playfully, "I'll get you next time."

We continue playing with no scoring, until Coach blows his whistle. "Games over, it's time to get ready for reapings." Everyone lets out a groan.

"But we're tied, we can't be tied," I say, "we should have a winner."

"Well there is no time, we have to go to reapings," he booms. His voice then softens, "I just hope I don't lose any of you to the games." His face then hardens again and we're sent away.

"We'll meet by the usual spot before reapings," I say. Riley and Aaron agree.

I let myself in. "Travis, who is it?" my mom asks my brother. Travis is lounging on the couch. He grins. "Oh it's just the soulless ginger," he shouts to my mom. He then looks back at me, "How are ya Gingy?"

"You almost can't recognize her because of all the sweat and dirt," my other brother, Jared, teases. "It's the red hair that gives it away." I run toward Jared and he squeals, trying to run away. I catch him in a headlock ruffling his hair. He giggles and I shove him away. He gets out of my range, knowing full well my capabilities to beat him up. I smirk at him and he smirks back.

My sister, Grace, comes into the family room. She's already in her dress and her brown hair flows down past her shoulders. She turns her nose up at me in a joking manner, "looks like someone needs to take a bath. Unless you want to scare everyone away." I mimic her in a high-pitched voice before heading to clean all my sweat and grime off.

When I'm showered I sit down at the table for lunch. Travis, Grave and Jared are already there. "I'm thinking a career will win this year," Travis says.

"Travis, you say that every year," Jared points out, "we don't even know who's going to be in the Games. I just know I'll guess the right person. I said Levi would win last year and she did."

"I just hope it's someone from our district," Grace says, "there hasn't been one from Six in a long time."

Mom walks in and immediately now we're starting to bet on who would win the games. She frowns. "How many times have I told you not to talk about the games like that? They are an evil, evil, evil thing."

"Mom, I've told you before that I don't like the Capitol. The only thing that's good about them is their sports. I like to watch their soccer," I tell her. Then to my sibling I mutter, "It's not like it's going to actually affect us personally." We quickly change the subject on account of mom. Once I'm done eating, I head out. I give my mom a kiss on the cheek and tell her where I'm going. She bids me goodbye. As I'm leaving Travis shouts, "Bye Gingy." I wave to him while silently cursing that I inherited Grandpa's hair while everyone else in my family is a brunette. Soon I spot our meeting place. Riley and Aaron are already there, along with our other friends, Lauren and Jenna.

"And you didn't kiss her?" I hear Jenna squeal. "You were a freaking inch away but you didn't kiss her. Pathetic."

"Aww," Lauren whines, "you guys would be the cutest couple. It would be perfect!"

Aaron looks uncomfortable but Riley saves him from some more onslaughts from Jenna and Lauren. "Both of you are way too girly. You think it would be okay if they were just making out on the soccer field? Coach would blow it," she says.

Lauren sees me as I near, "Greetings Eileen McGowan. How are you today?" she says in what she has once informed me was a German accent. I still don't know what the heck German is.

"I'm good," I say. I don't ask them about whatever they were talking about before. Lauren is such an awkward person and Jenna is crazy so I doubt what they were talking about was something I would understand. "Ready for reapings?" I ask.

Lauren transitions into a flawless Capitol accent, "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor."

We line up in the check-in line and are ushered into our sections. Lauren, Riley and Jenna go to the sixteen year old girl section. Aaron goes to the sixteen year old boy section. But I have to go to the fifteen year old section. We're all in the same grade; I just have one of those weird end of the year birthdays. Our escort takes the stage and struts to the girl's ball. "Eileen McGowan." I feel my heart start going a hundred miles per hour and the color drain from my face. The unthinkable is happening. I take a deep breath and pull on my game face. I keep my composure and don't let any emotion leak through as I take my spot on the stage. I keep telling myself that it's like soccer; you have to compose yourself so you don't get a red card. I look off and see my family in shock. Jenna, Lauren and Riley are group hugging. Aaron has his hands on his knees and looks wobbly and frightened.

"Rodney Loranson." A short and stocky boy takes the stage. I glare at him as we shake hands. As I'm shoved into the Justice building I allow my composure to slightly crack.

**Rodney Loranson's POV**

My group of best friends and I are at Aiden's house. "Reaping time," his mom shouts from below. I'm virtually never at my house, I'm usually with friends.

We head down to reapings and joke all the while. When we get to the check-in line I openly scowl at the lady. I don't hide my hatred for Capitolites. "Douche," I snap at her when I'm cleared to go past. I blow past her before she can say or do anything. We separate into our groups. I turn to Belle before she leaves to the girl section though. "I expect you not to be reaped," I tell her. She smiles and goes to her section.

"Eileen McGowan." A girl with flaming red hair walks onto the stage. Her slight scowl impresses me.

"Maybe we'll have a winner," I whisper to Aiden. "Anyone who scowls at the Capitol's 'luxuries' is great in my book."

Aiden shudders, "but I hate that chick."

"Aiden is just mad because she one-ups him in the things he loves. She flat-out destroyed him in soccer and her GPA is a whole point ahead of his," Derek explains.

"Four point two to my three point four," Aiden mutter with a scowl.

"You're such a loser Aiden. Plus, we shouldn't be thinking about that, we should be glad it isn't Alice or Belle," I tell my friends.

"Rodney Loranson."

Looks like the time for celebration is over. I walk to the stage and take my place next to Eileen. It now seems ridiculous that I was happy a moment ago that she was such a contender. I sneak a look at her and see that her muscles are bigger than mine. But I know from years past that she was nothing compared to the careers. As soon as I realize that my goal changes. If I can't survive I'll just make things miserable to the ones that I hate.

As soon as I'm in the Justice building I'm mobbed by my friends. "Sick, cruel, twisted Capitol," they all murmur with venom.

"Don't worry I guys," I say. I tell them of my plans. They smile a little at my plans and we try to joke about it. But soon they are taken away. I knew they were convinced that the wicked Capitol had stolen away one of their friends.

**Eileen McGowan's POV**

My parents, Travis, Grace and Jared all pile in. They rush toward me and seem to have a contest to see who can hug me the tightest. They all give me advice, assurance that I can live and their love. They all file out teary eyed except for my mother. She hugs me again, the very tightest. I feel a tear that I tried so hard to keep in trickle down my face. "I love you mommy," I whisper.

Mom starts bawling. "I love you so much Eileen. I really do have faith that you can win if you really set your heart on it. But you've seen what happens, I don't know if you want to."

"So basically my life is ruined," I cry.

"No, never that. You always have us and your friends to come back to. What I'm trying to say is you need to stay true to yourself. Just think of us, and think hard before you act."

"I'm going to win Mom," I say firmly and without many tears. And I meant it too.

Mom smiles, "I was hoping you would say that. I believe you will. Because every time in your life, if you really, truly set your mind to it you've done it. But if you're going to win you need to go to the survival in the wilderness courses. I know you'll just want to do the physical things but if you're going to win you need to do everything." I nod firmly. She kisses my forehead before she is led out of the room by a Peacekeeper.

Lauren, Jenna, Riley and Aaron come rushing in. Lauren locks onto me in a hug. "You have to win," she says firmly. It's seriously the first time I've heard her talk normally in a long time. She bids her goodbyes before leaving the room. Riley and Jenna hug me and tell me similar things. Soon only Aaron and I are left in the room. I look at him and see his brown eyes are filled with sorrow and his face is flushed with tears. He hugs me tight.

"I know you can win," he says. He pulls away and looks deep into my eyes. He forces a laugh, "anyone who can get past me in soccer is victor material." The smile melts off of his face. He pulls me close and hugs me again. He pulls away and starts to leave but something sparks in his eyes for the second time today. He returns to me and kisses me on the cheek. "I'll see you really soon Eileen," he says. But then he is gone. I gingerly touch my cheek. My body has been frozen with fear but right where his lips touched my cheek there is a feeling of warmth that made my heart flutter. A little piece of hope.

**Hope you loved it!**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowen (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**


	8. Chapter 8: D7 Reapings No Smiling Matter

**The song "Abraham's Daughter" from **_**The Hunger Games **_**soundtrack**__**gives me goosebumps.**

**Winter Hostage's POV**

_I walk through a meadow and up a path. I don't know why I'm moving I just am. Once reaching the edge of the valley, I trek up the hill and leave the meadow that was infested with gorgeous wild-flowers. As I walked on everything looked bleak and bleary. I walked straight to the edge. There was a huge, sinister drop-off. Just craggy boulders, nothing to save yourself and nothing soft to break a fall. But almost as if on a stage, there is an island below with my parents standing on it. My mom has an endless stock of alcohol, but she doesn't drink it herself. Instead she hands bottle after bottle into my dad's outstretched hands. He quickly guzzles them down. "Life jus-ss-ss-t ain't worth living no more," my dad says, his voice heavily slurred. He drains what seemed like millions of bottles. Then he looked up and his eyes bored into mine. They were the exact shade of green as mine; in fact they seemed as if they were my eyes. They twinkled a bit, happiness just barely pushing past sorrow. _

_ "Going someplace better, I'll meet you there," a deep, whispery voice said. I saw myself in those green eyes just before they flutter shut and my dad fell to the floor, dead. Strong hands throw me to the ground. I see a bar-tender with flaming eyes, chains in his muscled hands. I am quickly bound by the demonic man. He glares at me wickedly and I am thrust off of the cliff. Wind rushed around me and I felt the falling feeling in the pit of my stomach. My body slams into the water and all my breath leaves me. I sink hopelessly into the pitch-dark water. My lungs burn for air, they're encompassed in fire. I gasp for breath and water pours in my mouth and down my lungs. But instead of quenching the fire it only worsened it. Just when it seemed it was finally over, that my miserable life was over, I was pulled out of the water. I scream when I see it is the bar-tender. _

_ "Looks like you need to be dried off," the bar-tender hissed. Oddly, the man had the voice of President Snow. But I didn't have time to ponder it because the bar-tender roared and fire poured from his mouth and onto my body. I howled as the fire swallowed me, pain came rushing with it. My skin is soon at a melted puddle at my feet and my world goes black. _

I snap awake. My throat is raw from screaming and sweat pools down my back. I find my hands wrapped around my neck; it wasn't the first time I subconsciously tried to kill myself. I tell myself that it was just a nightmare; that I didn't need to worry. But that didn't help my ever-growing torment.

I put on the crappiest clothes I can find; the Capitol doesn't deserve to see me look my best. I sneak around the hall, trying to get past my wretched mother. She's too bubbly, why does she have to be so happy when life is so cruel? Unfortunately, she finds me. "Winter, darling," she trills in an overly high-pitched voice. She says it in a way that she is almost singing. Hate festers in me as she talks. Lunging forward, she grabs me with her perfectly manicured talons. She drags me over to the breakfast table, but I don't resist. The less time I spend with her, the better. And resisting guarantees more time with her. She forces me down on the chair and shoves a piece of toast in my face. Ever since the counselor at school had told my mom I never eat she's been shoving food down my throat. Once I swallow every last bit of her nasty food I get up to leave. But then, even worse, she tries to corner me in for a kiss but I blow past her. She stumbles back on her heels as I rush past. I don't stop to see if she falls.

I'm out the door. I reach into the back of my throat. Instantly this morning's filth comes pouring out of me. Dizziness explodes around me. I grip my knees and wait until the spell is over. Then I run, and I don't stop until I'm deep in the woods surrounded by beautiful, lush, green trees. I plop down on the soft soil and lean back on a lichen-covered boulder. The only remotely good thing about life is nature. Just how anything can see so beautiful takes my breath away and enthralls me. I just want to spend all my day watching nature's wonders. Another plus to nature is that it doesn't give a crap what the Capitol thinks. Mother Nature just does what she wants, and I admire her for it. I sit for a while and take in the wonders of nature. An adorable bunny hops by. I find a smile spread across my face, the first genuine one in years. The bunny hops around for awhile and wiggles its cute nose. It pushes out the sorrow in my heart. But when the beautiful creature hops away I feel my heart sink. Then I realize it's time for reapings. My heart sinks even more.

Once I sign in I walk to the seventeen year old section. Instantly, everyone takes a step back from me. I have no friends, not that I need any. I turn away from the scared and the gawking and scowl over at the stage. Too soon, the escort takes the stage. "Ladies first," she croons. Her hand peruses through the bowl. Finally she snatches up a name and reads it to us. "Nora Finch." A petite girl walks to the stage. Her auburn hair curls under her chin, freckles sprinkles her nose and upper cheeks and her brown, doe-like eyes look frightened. Looking into those huge eyes, I feel my heart break for the millionth time. A sweet, precious life is about to be terminated. Nora's along with twenty-two others.

"Winter Hostage." Suddenly the world changes in a snap. Shapes become blurry and colors intensify. Noises attack me from everywhere. Loud, uncontrollable, chaotic noises. I clamp my hands over my ears. I feel pain in my knees. In the back of my mind it registers that I have fallen to my knees. My throat feels like it's being ripped from my body. The back of my mind tells me I'm screaming. Someone's arms wrap around me and I'm dragged up to the stage and then into the Justice building.

**Nora Finch's POV**

I awake to my growling stomach and the scent of waffles wafting through the air. With a smile I bound to the kitchen. Grandma smiles at me and I sit down at my usual spot at the table. There sit the heavenly pancakes. I instantly dig in. "Grandma," I say, my mouth full of food, "you are seriously the best cook ever."

Grandma smiles, "Thanks sweetheart." I'm lucky to have my grandma. She's raised me ever since I was ten. Both my parents died in a freak lumber accident. I remember the day when their fellow lumber jacks came to my sister, Sara, and I to tell us the news. Their eyes were swollen with tears, tears trickling down into their beards and a mysterious crimson on some of them. Grandma sent me away when they told the full details. Only she and Sara listened. I guess it was probably better that I didn't because after a week of grieving Sara went into the forest. She never came back. Never seen or heard from again. And I took that hard. They were my heroes and in a blink of an eye they were gone. Grandma was one of the only things that helped me through that time. Her and my best friends, Vivian and Liam.

Vivian was a great comfort but then, four years later it was my turn to comfort her. Her brother was reaped and sent into the games. He was the first one who died; the career pack that killed him was sick and twisted that year. They all took a limb and ripped him apart. It was the most brutal thing I've ever seen. My grandma even said that, and she's watched fifty years of the games. Of course, that didn't sit well with Vivian. It's been two years and she's still not the same. But through thick and thin we've been there for each other. Alarm pops up in my mind. I should be with her right now; reaping day is when she's at her worst. "Gotta go to Vivian's, Grammy. Love you," I say. I give her a quick peck on the cheek before sprinting out the door.

As soon I leave the house I see Liam trotting up to me with a concerned look on his face. I feel a smile spread on my face and my stomach fill with butterflies. Beautiful, wonderful butterflies. I know now I'm staring and smiling goofily but I can't seem to take my eyes off of him. My heart aches for him to just propose right now. I feel myself leaning in to hear his words. "Where is Vivian, I thought she would be with you?" he says. That snaps me out of my romantic state.

"I'm over here, I've been looking for you guys," Vivian says, coming around the corner.

"Viv," shouts Liam. He trots over to her and gives her a light kiss. I feel my heart sink. Yeah, I forgot to mention that the boy I've been head over heels in love with since we met when I was ten is dating my very best friend. And it sucks. But I keep my opinions and feeling about it locked away. What makes Vivian happy makes me happy. Well, I guess for the most part. But she's my very best friend and I would never, ever, ever do anything that would hurt her.

"Hey Nora," Vivian smiles at me.

"Hey Viv." We then all chat and walk to the reapings. Liam and Vivian are holding hands, so I'm slightly third-wheeling. But nothing too bad. I hope. But I'm still happy. Vivian is taking this reaping quite well. Not like the past years.

~0~

The escort takes the stage with a bubbly smile. I feel Vivian tense next to me. This is no smiling matter. "Ladies first," the escort trills. Vivian grips my arm, hard. She even cuts off the circulation. "Nora Finch." Vivian's grip instantly releases as she faints. She falls to the ground but I'm frozen in place. I don't want to get ripped apart by evil careers. I force myself to move, horror still gripping my insides. I take my place on stage and pray I don't look too scared. "Winter Hostage." My horror grows. Winter is the emo kid from our district. Every family has to have a talk with their kids, 'stay away from Winter Hostage. That kid is nothing but trouble' they all counsel. I hear screaming from the audience. More like howling cold-blooded murder. The crowd parts and Winter is on his knees, hands clamped over his ears and he is thrashing. "THIS ISN'T REAL! THIS CAN'T BE REAL!" he screams. I tense as they drag him on the stage next to me. He is super skinny, I extremely tiny myself but could probably fit my hand around his ankle. And he has cuts and scabs all up his arms. I can tell he's cut himself. The families were right, this is one scary kid.

**Winter Hostage's POV**

I'm thrown into a room in the Justice building. I flop on the couch and do some deep breathing. The world slowly fades back to normal. But not for long. My mother comes in and everything is in over-drive again. My hands clench into fists and I jump to my feet. "I HATE YOU! IT'S YOUR FAULT DAD DIED! I HATE YOU! I FREAKING HATE YOU! JUST GO DIE! NO ONE WANTS YOU ANYWAYS!" I'm charging at my mom until strong hands grip my waist and flung me to the ground. Something jabs into my arm and everything goes black.

**Nora Finch's POV**

Grandma wraps her wrinkly arms around me. She cries silently and tells me how much she loves me. But at the last second she gives me a tip, good ol' Grandma. "Nora, dearest, you are small but you are strong. Don't let anyone know you are strong until you are in the games. Pretend you are a sweet, helpless little girl. Then show them how much you can really be. Always remember that I love you, and I always will no matter what." A huge Peacekeeper leads my sweet Grandma away. She smiles and waves before being led out.

In a split second Vivian throws herself on me. She is bawling and squeezing me tight. I could barely breathe. I tried to voice some words, but I found that I couldn't talk without bawling myself. Vivian is inconsolable. We cry together until the Peacekeeper came. "It's time to leave Miss," he says to Vivian.

Vivian just hugs me tighter. The Peacekeeper tries some more. He finally gets fed up and grabs Vivian by the waist to drag her from the room. "NO!" she screeches. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND! SHE CAN'T DIE! THIS IS EVIL!" Another Peacekeeper joins the first and Vivian is quickly ripped away from my grasp. A sob escapes but then Liam comes in. I take a deep breath and decrease my sobbing to a silent cry.

"You've got to come back Nora. Fight hard, please come back," he says, tears dripping down his face.

"I'll try." Even in the current circumstances Liam makes my heart leap. I lean forward and press my lips to his. My heart soars and I realize I've never felt better. If only I could freeze this moment. Soon I force myself to pull away. "I've always wanted to do that," I say, slightly out of breath. Liam opens his mouth to say something but I put my finger to his lips, shushing him. "Take care of Vivian. Promise me Liam, take care of Vivian."

The Peacekeeper burst in but Liam looks me dead in the eye. "I promise," he says firmly. The Peacekeeper leads him away. I feel my heart sink. That's probably the last thing I'll ever hear the boy I love say.

**Hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowen (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **


	9. Chapter 9: D8 Reapings: Do the Math

**Cieeraloon Electra's POV**

A strong hand shakes me awake. It is strong yet is shakes me gently. My wide blue eyes are greeted by Syrn, which is quite a lovely sight. He is tall and muscular, with a distinct jaw-line. His blue eyes sparkle and his golden hair is slightly messy. Oh, and he has a horse. Having a horse is a major turn-on. Especially when it is pink and can talk. "My fair maiden," Syrn bellows, "'tis time to get ready for reapings. Though I don't really think you need it. You're beautiful no matter what you wear."

"Oh Syrn," I giggle.

Syrn smiles. He is so charming! "We shan't keep Seraphin and Flying Mint Bunny waiting. You know it's not good for Seraphin. She gets quite lonely."

"Of course," I respond. Syrn smiles and gives a slight bow before leaving my room so I could change in private. I slip on a bright yellow sundress, one that Syrn simply adores, and finger-comb through my short-blond hair. I then leave my bright pink room and enter the baby blue rest of the house. I slid down the stair rail when I see Syrn waiting with a smile at the bottom. He catches me when I slide off the edge. As we walk out the door my father hands me my copy of _Alice in Wonderland. _He knows I never leave home without it. The bookmark's tassels were hanging out from where my father had marked it last night when we had read it before bed.

Right when we walk out the door a flying bunny with wings hits me in the head. "Flying Mint Bunny!" I exclaim. "Watch where you're going." Flying Mint Bunny merely wiggles his nose and flutters away on his wings. He landed on Syrn's horse, Sparkle. Sitting on the back of Sparkle was Seraphin. She always sat on Sparkle, being a mermaid it's how she got places. With a flippered tail she couldn't walk places. Syrn takes Sparkle's bridle and we walk to the reapings. On the way there Syrn tells me stories of his adventures. He fought dragons, saved kingdoms and met pretty princesses (though he said none were as pretty as me). I let out a huge whine when we reach the check-in at the town square. I absolutely had not wanted our walk to end. And I didn't want to go to reapings. It was quite nerve-wracking and the history of Panem speech was dreadfully boring. Two feelings I did not like. After I go through the check-in Syrn escorts me to the thirteen year old section. I hear the escort lady start the ceremony but I find myself still clutching Syrn's steady arm. He leans over and brushes his lips against my ear.

"Fairest maiden, Cieeraloon, I'm ever so sorry but I cannot enter in the pen with you. Neither can Seraphin or Sparkle. But I'll be waiting just over there, waiting to see you again. Plus, Flying Mint Bunny can stay in the section with you," he whispers. I smile and let go of his arm. Flying Mint Bunny flutters beside me as I duck under the rope. The bunny lands in my outstretched hands and we cuddle while the escort talks. I had just slipped into a romantic Hunger Games fantasy when a voice, clear as a bell, rips through the square like a twister.

"Cieeraloon Electra."

My arms go limp and Flying Mint Bunny barely flutters away before smashing into the concrete. But I'm not watching him. A scream rips through my terror-filled body. I fall to my knees and pull my hair. The pain helps me focus. "SYRN, SAVE ME!" I scream. But before Syrn could get to me a strong man picked me up and flung me over his shoulder. I lifted my head as the man carried me away. Syrn's face was in a mask of fear. I let my head sag back down into the man's muscular shoulder and begin to cry.

**David "Dave" Levin's POV**

I'm awakened by my Daniel and Sarah running around the house screaming at the top of their lungs. A door slams shut and my other sister Jane enters the picture. "Shut up!" she hollers. "Can't you guys be calm for once in a while? This house is always like a zoo!"

"Daniel and Sarah, try to take it down a notch. And Jane, don't be like that. They're just little kids," my other other sister, Katherine says calmly. Being, as always, the sweet and sensible Levin child.

"Freaking eight years old," Jane mutters. With that, I sigh and roll out of bed. I look at my clock. It reads six A.M. It's a typical start to the morning at the Levin family house hold. The younger kids get up as early as possible, running around and waking everyone up, in rude manners. Then Jane blows her top and the older kids have to calm her down. I am neither of those parties, I'm the middle child, number five out of seven, and therefore take the middle ground.

I groan once more before heading out the door and into the large room that triples as our kitchen, dining room and family room. The rest of my family sits at the long, rectangular table, with the exception of Sam who is still zonked out on the couch which doubles as his bed and bedroom. I take my seat at the three and a half legged chair. The remaining half of the fourth leg is propped up to the correct size using a couple text books of _A History of Panem_, which is pretty much the most valuable thing in the house. But the chair matches perfectly with our jacked up table. We had to add a couple extra leaves to the table, none of which matched, to accommodate our nine person family. My mother smiles warmly at me and slides me a measly piece of toast. I feel my stomach rumble. I inhale it in a flash. I frown with disappointment. That was not enough to satisfy my hunger. I give my mom puppy dog eyes. She tries fervently to ignore me. She succeeds for a few minutes but with a final sigh slides me half of her piece of bread. I gobble it up, it still does nothing to my hunger but I know that it's the closest to full I'm going to get. Feeling holes burning into the back of my head I look up and see Dad glaring at me for taking Mom's breakfast. I quickly turn my head around not wanting to see Dad's disappointment.

Disappointment, I sigh at the thought. That's all I ever seem to do around here. All of my siblings are really amazing at something and then there is me. Randy is the heart-throb. All the girls in the district swoon over him. Katherine is the sweet and sensible one. Sam is the sports star. Jane is the funny one. Daniel is the prankster. And Sarah is the adorable one. And then there is me. The _other_ one. "David," Katherine says," get dressed. You're the only one still in your jammies." I sigh and head to the room Randy, Daniel and I share. There Katherine goes again, always the one to help Mom out. And jammies? What am I, four? I pull on the clothes that were set out for me, hand-me-downs like the rest of my wardrobe. With a sharp warning of our departure from Jane, I rush out of my room to join up with my family. We walk toward reapings together. Jane and I are the only eligible kids for reapings. Sam and up are too old. Daniel and down are too young. Mom is already super pale. But she has reason to be we have to take a lot of tesserae because our family is, let's face it, dirt poor. Nine freaking people in our family that we cannot afford. Add that with Panem's payment and you get a recipe for disaster. I have no idea how Mom will survive all our reapings put together. All together that's forty-nine reapings. Not to mention if she'll ever have to worry about grandchildren. If any of us live that long. I squeeze Jane's hand before going to my section. For once she doesn't have a snarky comment. She must have needed that reassurance.

~0~

"Cieeraloon Electra." I follow the turning heads and see a teeny girl who looked like she just stuck her finger in an electrical outlet. And a super powerful one at that. It took a moment for the shock to get to her. But soon enough it did, her wild blues eyes went wide and she started thrashing out and screaming bloody murder about a dude named Syrn. I recognize the girl as District Eight's personal lunatic. A district is not complete without one. Cieeraloon is severely bipolar and sadistic. Jane has been terrified of her ever since Cieeraloon told her of her interest in blood and dead bodies. Stranger yet, Cieeraloon has imaginary friends. It looks really weird when you see her interacting with them. I don't get to finish the rest of my rant about Cieeraloon because someone shouts my name.

"David Levin."

I instantly feel like thrashing and screaming as much as Cieeraloon, possibly even more. But I put on the bravest face I could muster, holding the tears back. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe I could win. Maybe I could bring back my family some much needed food and money. Maybe I wouldn't just be one of those Levin kids. Maybe I could be my own person. Well, maybe.

**Cieeraloon Electra's POV**

My father, Syrn, Seraphin, Sparkle and Flying Mint Bunny all huddled around me. My father made sure I had my book as a token and that I was calmed down enough to know he loved me. He placed his hands upon my shoulders and kissed me on the top of my head. "I'm sorry I interrupted your birthday party. Thank you. Birthday? My dear child, this is NOT a birthday party. Of course not. This is an unbirthday party," my father says in his best character voices.

"Curiouser and curiouser," I respond to him.

"And a little advice from the Queen for your time in the games, 'OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!'" my father shouts. I giggle. He kisses me once more before leaving the room. Once he leaves Syrn smiles at me.

"We've decided to accompany you during the games. So Sparkle, Seraphin, Flying Mint Bunny and I will be with you every step of the way. It will be my greatest adventure yet."

**David "Dave" Levin's POV**

My family all rush in the door and hug me. They squeezed me tight but it felt good to be with them. Everyone bawled. But before we could give much of a goodbye the Peacekeepers were back in, taking my family away. I gulped down a sob as they were all led away. Katherine was the last one to leave. She squeezed my hand tight. "Win," she said firmly. Then she disappeared with the Peacekeepers. I feel a tear drip down my face. Katherine has already done the math; she is the smart one after all. Nine minus one. One less mouth to feed, one less person to shelter. It will be infinitely better for my family. Or I could win and come back with money and food. That's the better option, but not always the easiest one. But it is the one I'm striving for. But they've all done the math. Either way my family is better off now that this has happened.

**Sorry that I haven't updated in forever. I got super busy, but I hope you enjoyed it.**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowen (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**


	10. Chapter 10: D9 Reapings: A Goner's View

**Lindsey Meyer's POV**

Red, yellow, blue. I dip my brush into the creamy color. The satisfying smell of paint reaches my nose and the oddly pleasing sound of paint being slabbed onto a canvas fills me with pleasure. I look at the clear glass in front of me but don't see it. Well, I see it but in much more detail. The glass wasn't a glass anymore. It was splotches of colors, tints of blue, shades of pink. All of which I had mixed to a perfect match on my pallet. It was a challenging painting, in essence the glass was colorless but the way it is seen has the colors from the table reflecting off of it. But I welcomed the challenge.

I'm just finishing the glass when Adam comes in. "Whoa, that's amazing!" he cries out. He playfully picks me up to move me out of the way of the picture. I giggle at his extremity. "The glass is beautiful. Look at all the colors, the shapes, the shadows!" He stands in silence as he admires the painting some more, thoughtfully scratching his salt and pepper colored beard. I poke him in the side and he smiles. "Lindsey you are quite the artist! I'd never wish for better offspring." I beam and Adam hugs me. I've never called him dad, he and my mother don't believe in those formalities. Therefore he is just Adam.

"I'm glad you like it, I just need to finish the table," I respond. Adam's face turns dark.

With a sigh he explains why, "I'm afraid you shall have to wait until later to finish this beauty. We have to go to reapings."

"Wretched games!" I shout. Adam also lends his voice into the protest. But eventually we have to stop. Adam says it will affect our life span if we shout for extended periods of time. We walk into our house and I am greeted by the quote that Adam had me paint on the wall. The words were in my practiced calligraphy and each letter in a different bright color. It read: _You are an artist. You see the world in a different perspective and that is a glorious thing. _I smile up at the quote. It is the Meyer family motto. It's how we live; we must show our creativity, and how we see the world differently. I prance to our coat hanger and take off Adam and my outfits for the reaping. They are matching and I sewed them all by myself. Since we are low on money Adam let me use the curtains for material. My dress was floor length and had a long train. I had cinched it with the curtain tassels at my ribcage as a belly belt. It was sleeveless and had a low back but there were ribbons at the top of the dress that I tied around my neck. I paired it with my corn-husk shoes Adam had made and a piece of yarn I had strung with radishes as a necklace. And for Adam, he had a simple tux with coattails that matched my dress. The tux had mix and matched buttons and he had corn-husk shoes.

"You did a lovely job with our outfits, honey," Adam says wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Off to reapings," I squeal eager to show off my new outfit. Adam smiles and we skip off to reapings.

~0~

I wave goodbye to Adam and enter my section. My friend, Sydney, groans when she sees me. "Seriously? You have to wear that?" she says. But the question should be should _she _wear that. She is wearing a knee length pleated skirt and a dull blouse, just like every other girl I see around me. She is just so bland, looks exactly like everybody else

"I have to express myself somehow," I respond. Sydney just sighs. I know she acts squeamish when she's around me with other people but I know how she will get fiercely defensive of me if someone makes fun of me. Before I was friends with Sydney everyone would make fun of me. Now no one says a word when Sydney's around. She gets viscous. But that doesn't stop the whisper about me. I really don't mind though, Adam says they just wish they were as artistic as us.

I clutch Sydney's hand as the escort mounts the stage. Sydney gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. She walks toward the bowl and pulls the first name her hand can reach. "Lindsey Meyers." I gasp. I'm sure seeing the world from a different perspective now. A goner's perspective.

**Kevin Hartman's POV**

I push the plunger down hard. I gag at the monstrosity of plunging the toilet. But I have to help earn some money for my family. Being the factory's janitor is really disgusting. But I'd rather be that then what everyone else has to do in this district. Personally, I live in the worst district. We could specialize in nice things like mining, fishing, agriculture or electricity but no. I live in District Nine, the meat processing district. I've always been absolutely grossed out my blood and how bodies work. I've never seen anything wrong with that, just have those freaks who like it deal with it, but my district doesn't feel the same. Let me simplify that for you, I'm the laughing stock of the district.

It all started on that field trip in kindergarten. When we took a trip to the factory. As soon as I walked into that place I saw the blood; the horrible scarlet, dripping nastiness. And I smelled the stench of death. When that hit me the first thing I did was spew my breakfast everywhere. Then I promptly fainted. And I've tried so many times to overcome that fear. I've been back countless times but the same thing happens over and over again. I guess we can't change who I am. But then there was the problem of work. It was hard when my family needed money and we were from the poor parts of the district so basically all the jobs involved the meat. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I got fired. Luckily, my mom has a friend who found me the job as a janitor. This will basically become my whole life. Panem really sucks.

The loud bell for quitting time rings. I sigh and put my cleaning supplies back in the closet. As I left my parents came to find me so we could walk to reapings together. I shuddered when I saw the blood on their butcher aprons.

~0~

"Lindsey Meyers." I shudder at the thought of the poor girl being sent to her death. I see Lindsey; she is in the weirdest outfit. A typical Meyer spectacle but she deserves sympathy. She's had a hard life; everyone makes fun of her and her mom died in a factory malfunction. The factory isn't the safest place and has big, scary equipment. It's another reason why I hate to be in there. That along with the blood.

"Kevin Hartman." I feel my stomach drop. I have a sick feeling that bloody chicken breasts won't be the worst I'll see.

**Lindsey Meyer's POV**

Adam charges into the room and hugs me tight. I bury my face into the crook of his neck and sob. He rubs my back and softly sings my favorite lullaby over his tears. It could be almost peaceful but then the Peacekeepers come in. "It's time to get a move on you freak," they sneer at Adam. They grab him harshly and shove him out of the room. My heart breaks in two when I see his tormented face.

Sydney comes in next. I'm still sobbing and so is she. We don't talk, but her teary face says it all. They take her away in the same manner as Adam. My two halves of a heart break into fourths.

**Kevin Hartman's POV**

When my parents come in, I don't even care that there is blood on their aprons. I hug them as tight as I can. "Oh, Kev," they cry, "we love you." And I love them too. We all cry as hard as we ever have during our lives. It's probably the biggest sob-fest in history. But I don't care. I love them and they're being torn from me. Or I'm being torn from them. And my heart is going to be torn from me, literally and figuratively.

**Hope you liked it.**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowen (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **


	11. Chapter 11: D10 Reapings: Together

**Sorry I put it up so late. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Conner McRobbie's POV**

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" I hear my younger brother, Cameron, scream. Crap, Kelson is on a rampage. Kelson is my older brother and the biggest jerk in the world. I swear he is in no way related to me although everyone insists that we are siblings. Now, not only do I get beat up at school but also at home too. No place is safe for me except maybe at my best friend, Michelle's, house. I hear another shout from Cameron. I gulp; Kelson gets extra violent on days he is stressed. And today is reapings a.k.a. a day of stress overload. Luckily, Cameron scream gave me a warning. It meant that soon Kelson would get bored of him and come get me. It's a good thing Kelson is pretty routine. Quickly, I grab my glasses off of the bedside table. I strip of my pajamas and pull on jeans and a plaid shirt. With my shoes in my hand, I quickly fling open the window and climb through onto the roof. I shut the window and make my way away from the window. I did it not a second too soon for as soon as I stop I hear Kelson stomp into my room. He hollers angrily and knocks something to the ground. He searches for a moment before leaving my room. I allow myself to chuckle. I had just outwitted Kelson. Now I'm one to one hundred. I sigh at the depressing statistic. But a reassuring thought comes as I slid my feet into my shoes. Maybe this is a turning point; I can start outsmarting Kelson and cross him off my long list of problems. I smile. Maybe I can even outsmart the bullies at school. Michelle always insists that I am able to.

I decide not to go back into my house. I feel bad for leaving Cameron but I don't think I should be in hitting range with Kelson. I cautiously walk to the edge of the roof and slide onto the shed, just a few feet lower than our house roof. I inch backward and dangle from the shed. I prepare my feet and let myself drop into the pile of hay. Hay particles fill the air as I land. Once I have my bearings back I see Betsy, the cow with an attitude, glaring at me. Before Betsy I had never thought a cow capable of glaring but now it is a daily occurrence. Betsy angrily whacks me with the side of her head and I tumble out of the hay. She gives me another soul-piercing glare before going back to her meal of hay. I pop up to my feet and distance myself as far from that crazy cow as I can. I walk out and see my mother and father milking some other cows. Usually we kids are supposed to help but on reaping day they figure they'd give us a day off. I wave to them and tell them that I am going to Michelle's house. They nod but are engrossed in their work. That's a problem. They stop Kelson when they are around, but they are rarely around. They're always working. You have to work extra hard to get any food around here. Plus, Kelson is determined to keep Cameron and I as his own personal punching bags. But I shake the bad memories from my head; I had escaped him for today.

I start out on a long walk. I live in District Ten and we're ranchers so our closest neighbors aren't even in sight of our house. Dust gathers on my shoes and the sun beats down on me. I'm used to it though. Michelle and I always joke about the wimps from District Twelve and other cold places. They all think 80 degrees Fahrenheit is hot when here it can easily be 115 degrees Fahrenheit or over that in the summer. But I stick to the shady areas of the path, under the mesquite trees and the saguaro cacti's long arms. Though I stay far away from the cholla. They have loose thorns and almost seen to jump at you. Michelle and I have gotten hurt by these too many times to count. After about ten minutes the plantation thins out and I see Michelle's house. Then I see Michelle waving at me. Her long blonde hair is down instead of in its usual braids and she's wearing nicer clothes than usual, a red tank top and non-ripped jeans. I pull myself up onto the gate that she's sitting on. "Hey," I greet, "why are you outside?"

"My family is fighting again, this time I couldn't stand it so I left," she says. We both sigh in unison. Michelle also has a hard family life. They are constantly fighting and her parents are even trying to get a divorce. But that's unheard of in this District so the mayor has to find out how and he's taking a while getting the information. A shout rings out from the house. We both cringe. "Let's leave for reapings now so we don't have to deal with them," Michelle says.

"Good idea."

~0~

The town square is crowded and dusty. We chat nervously while the rest of the District filters in, some even riding on their horses. The mayor gives his speech, somewhat half-heartedly. "It really must get boring reading the same speech over and over again," I whisper to Michelle.

"Not as boring as hearing it every year. Seriously, all I hear is blah blah blah blah blah," she whispers back. Fortunately, the speech ends soon. Unfortunately, the escort has to talk now.

"I am so excited," she titters. She goes on for a little while before she goes to the reaping bowl. "Michelle Germia." Michelle looks at me with tear filled eyes. I see her swallow before walking to the stage, biting her lip to keep tears from spilling out. Things cannot get worse. "Conner McRobbie. Crap, things did just get worse.

**Michelle Germia's POV**

"No way!" I hear my mother screech. I sigh and rub the sleep from my eyes. Another day, a billion more fights. I get ready with the nasty background music of fighting. I eat breakfast and hear fighting. I try to have a civilized conversation but it is interrupted by, you guessed it, more fighting!

"I freaking hate you!" my mother screams.

My father says the same thing but using much more colorful word choice. My mother is already too furious to cover my ears. But it's not like I don't hear it every day. They scream on for a while and I desperately try to block it out but in the end it is just too much.

"STOP IT!" I scream, drowning them both out with my loud voice. I stomp my foot before racing from the room. I slam the door extra hard as I step outside. Tears blur my eyes and I throw myself to the ground. I was acting like a two-year old but I didn't care. I beat my fist into the ground until dust flies everywhere. But soon I can't cry anymore even though I try. I grunt with frustration and storm over to the fence. I pull myself on it and begin to take deep breathes. Eventually I am calm down. But evidently from the ruckus inside my parents have not. I see a figure in the distance. I squint and see that it is Conner. I smile, finally a welcome sight to see. I wave and he smiles. He comes and sits next to me. I am quickly comforted. We hear a shout from inside. "Let's leave," I suggest not wanting to let the comfort leave me.

~0~

I go to the fourteen year old girl section and Conner goes to the fourteen year old boys. Luckily they are adjacent to each other and we both stood near the edge so we could talk.

"Michelle Germia." My life sucks. I wish I could throw myself to the ground again but I have to be strong. Strong. "Conner McRobbie." Maybe this is a good thing we could help each other.

**Conner McRobbie's POV**

I cringe as Kelson storms in. My family had decided to come in individually. Again, not the brightest idea. Kelson turns his nose up in disgust. "Looks like the little nerd is finally going to get squashed. The games are sure good for pest control," he shouts. Instantly tears spring to my eyes. As if things weren't bad enough. Kelson goes on a rampage and with each pounding word I duck my head farther down, trying to hide from everything. After an eternity he finally leaves. The Peacekeeper roughly shakes my shoulder. "Come on crybaby, do I need to call the waaambulance," he jeers in a baby voice. I swallow back my tears, great another bully. But maybe I could show them. I can show them how smart I really am. Everyone will think twice about being mean to someone again. I can win this I now have a cause. I'll be back to District Ten.

**Michelle Germia's POV**

Tears pour out of my eyes. Oddly, they aren't of sadness but of joy. My parents were in the same room together and were being kind with one another. I was the common ground; they both loved me so maybe they can tolerate each other. They hug me tight and give me their love. But I can't get over how peaceful it is. I just it didn't need to come to my death to bring them back together again.

**Hope you guys enjoyed it. **

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowen (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **

**D10**

**Conner McRobbie (14)- he is shy around people he doesn't know but really outgoing and funny around those he knows well. He is smart but has a really mean brother. He is bullied and a bit of a nerd.**

**Michelle Germia (14)- is Conner's best friend. She is really funny. She has family problems and her parents hate each other. **


	12. Chapter 12: D11 Reapings: Joke's on Them

**Alden Shaw's POV**

Someone nudges my side. I open my eyes to see my little sister/great friend, Ella. She grins when she sees me try to groggily blink the sleep out of my eyes. "Wakey, wakey," she coos. Ella seems to be dressed and ready for the upcoming day. Once again she is assuming her role as the chipper morning person. She jumps onto my bed and her locket careens wildly in the motion.

I chuckle slightly. "Okay Miss Hyper, I'll be ready in a second."

"You better be," she shouts. She flips her hair over her shoulder and skips out of the room. I head over to my dresser and pull a brown suit out. My cousin, Kenny, had generously let me borrow it for Reapings on account that he is no longer eligible for reapings. I pull it on. Despite the age of the suit it still looks remarkable. It used to belong to my grandfather who was the mayor so that explains the fanciness of it. It was then passed down to my uncle who is the current mayor. Then it became Kenny's and he lent it to me due to the special occasion. I was thrilled to wear it because I always dress sharply because impressions are everything plus it is basically a family relic.

I strut down to the kitchen. "Finally," Ella moans, "I thought I was going to have to come back up and get you." Then in a quieter voice she says, "Mom's up."

I nod, "I'll deal with her El." Ella doesn't have the best relationship with our mother. Mom is always sick. She's been bedridden since she was a child and Ella always feels awkward around her. Most people feel awkward around her because she is frail and doesn't go out of her way to socialize with others. When I get to her room I see her struggling to get up. I rush to her side and give her a hand. She takes my offer and smiles. I let her sit on the edge of the bed while I get her ready. Soon she is as presentable as a sick person can get. Just then my uncle walks in. "Hey Uncle Evan. Don't you have some mayor duties to do?"

"Nope, all I have to do is read the speech off of my note card. Our eager escort takes care of the rest," he responds. He turns to my mother, "Hey Sis, thought you would need some help. You haven't been outside in months." My mom beams at him and nods. Uncle Evan turns back to me,"Run along Alden. I'll take care of the rest. I think Kenny is in the kitchen with your sister." I nod and leave the room gratefully. It sure is a good thing we have my uncle. Otherwise Mom wouldn't have lasted this long. Evan takes care of her by himself and with his resources he gets from being mayor.

As I walk into the kitchen I see Kenny with puppy-dog eyes and using his 'chick-magnet' strategies he taught me. Unfortunately, his next victim is my sister. "Hey Kenny," I call out sliding in-between him and Ella. As much as I love them both them being together is inappropriate and gross. Plus, our family is screwed up enough.

"Sup broseph," Kenny responds. Then Kenny eagerly starts blabbing about the prank he and his other friends pulled last night. I listen intently; pranks are hilarious as long as they don't hurt me or my reputation. But just in the midst of the story I spy our house maid, Emily Songbird. I shoot her a glare on a mission to kill and she nervously scuttles from the room. Probably running off to flirt some more with my dad.

Emily Songbird is basically the other source of my family's issues. Her and my dad. It all started because of the fact that my dad doesn't really love my mom. The reason they married is because of my dad's greed for money and my mom's family's money. But Mom has been way too sick to notice. Then Emily comes into play. Since Mom only satisfies my dad's money needs he uses Emily to satisfy his lust. I've caught them way too many times together. I shake my head in disgust. Honestly, I'm ashamed of them all.

I quickly tune back into Kenny's conversation; trying to get bad images out of my head. But I only catch a quick snippet of it until my Uncle, my mom, my dad and Emily filter into the room. "Time to go crew," Uncle Evan shouts. And we do just that.

~0~

My uncle rattles off the remainder of the speech. When I stand on my tip-toes and peer over shoulders I can just see the edge of his note-card. He finishes and sighs of relief to be done with the burden. He takes his seat and the escort replaces him behind the podium. I'm not really worried because of my family's high standings; we should be nearly impossible to reap. So when the escort reaches into the reaping ball I didn't worry about Ella. "Athena Furmerson." A girl with dark auburn hair walks to the stage fuming. She approaches the escort who thinks she is about to hug her. But Athena surprises her with instead punching her in the face. The escort instantly flails to the ground. In the fall she manages to take out the girls' reaping ball. It comes crashing to the stage floor and shatters; further wounding the escort. When the punch came the escort's nose exploded like a geyser. Blood poured onto the stage. Athena calmly walks off the stage and away. About half of the Peacekeepers rush to catch her and the other half come to the escort's aid. The remaining force takes the job of controlling the crowd. A big, burly man scoops up the bleeding escort and takes her back to the train. The other ones continue to drag Athena to the Justice Building. The man comes back and walks over to the microphone. "Due to the inconvenience, we will have the mayor reap the boy's name," he says.

My uncle stands up again and side-steps his way over to the reaping ball. He dips his hand into the ball and draws out a small slip of paper. It seemed harmless enough but when he opened it his mouth dropped open and he became as white as cotton. Tears began to pour down his face. By this time the big man was getting frustrated. He couldn't bear to have another mishap under his rein. "Say something he barked."

"Alden Shaw," my uncle cries.

**Athena Furmerson's POV**

My brother, Ares, wrings his hands uncomfortably. Sweat beads his face. His eyes are wide with fear. "Ares, snap out of it!" I shout. Ares gasps and when he realizes it's me he calms down. "Another flashback?" Ares nods in response to my question. I can understand his fear; Ares is the victor of the 86th Hunger Games and he hasn't been the same since. When that happened I was so scared; I could barely eat or sleep for days. So if my fear was anything to go by Ares' was probably fifty times worse. In fact, he is still sometimes troubled by it. Ares' phone buzzes. He looks down and grimaces.

"Sorry Athena. I've got to go now and meet the escort. She's new and is going to give me her mentor expectations," he explains.

Now it is my turn to make a face. "She sounds like a charmer," I sneer with sarcasm. Ares winces and heads off to meet the crazy escort. After Ares leaves his seat is taken by my step-mom. I frown at her; openly showing my dislike. She stole my mom's spot, what else was I supposed to do? My dad files out and my little step-sister. My displeasure was growing by the second. When my dad leaned over and kissed my no-good step-mom I blew it. I jumped to my feet and stormed from the house. I didn't stop until I reached the town square. But when I got there I calmed down. I was among friends and away from my step-mom. Soon everyone else filed in and the mayor gave his super boring speech. I looked over to the side and saw Ares sitting next to the escort and the mayor's empty chair. He is the only mentor and this is his second year of it. I feel bad for him; he was heartbroken last year when his tributes, Riley Rynne and Zephyr Kane, died.

My thoughts turn from Ares to myself. Surely they wouldn't want another Furmerson in the games in such a short amount of time. "Athena Furmerson." Apparently not. Rage rushes through my body. How dare the capitol? How dare this escort pick me? I storm to the stage and when I see the escort beaming I lose it. I harbor energy in my arm and let it swing. My fist collides right into the escort's smug nose. There is a crack and a gush of blood. The escort tumbles back into the ball and papers and glass go flying everywhere. The escort cries out in distress. But I smile; serves her right. After taking in the scene I walk from the stage. I didn't get very far before a rhinoceros of a Peacekeeper barrels into me. Pain was blocked out by anger. But the Peacekeepers where immune to my futile blows. They promptly dragged me away screaming to the Justice Building.

**Alden Shaw's POV**

First my dad, mom and Ella come in. Mom is crying so hard. She hugs me tight; I haven't seen this much strength in her for years. I don't think this is even possible but Ella was crying harder than Mom. Ella wraps her arms around me and sobs. I bury my face into her hair. But soon I take a peek at my dad. He has a surprised look on his face but doesn't say anything. After a while he takes my mom and himself out of the room leaving Ella. When the door shuts Ella lets go of me. Her hands reach to her neck and she unclasps her locket. "I want you to have this as your token, Alden," she cries. Instantly I am overwhelmed with her love. She absolutely adores her locket. In fact it is her prized possession. I slip the locket over my head and open it. Inside is a picture of Ella and I laughing.

"Thank you so much, El. I love you," I tell her.

"I love you too." She gives me a tight hug and that's the last I see of her.

But Ella's place is soon taken by Kenny and Uncle Evan. They tell me that they love me and that they'll take care of Ella. After some more crying they leave. Kenny makes it out the door but Uncle Evan turns around. He grips my shoulders tightly and says in a firm and loud voice, "Come back home for us, Alden." He nods with teary eyes and leaves the room.

**Athena Furmerson's POV**

A huge Peacekeeper comes in with a grim look on his face, "As a result of your outburst you will not be allowed any visitors." I nod and he leaves with a ghost of smile on his face. I frown. The joke is on him anyways; maybe I didn't want to see my family. But as I board the train I feel a touch of sorrow that I didn't get to say goodbye.

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowen (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **

**D10**

**Conner McRobbie (14)- he is shy around people he doesn't know but really outgoing and funny around those he knows well. He is smart but has a really mean brother. He is bullied and a bit of a nerd.**

**Michelle Germia (14)- is Conner's best friend. She is really funny. She has family problems and her parents hate each other. **

**D11**

**Alden Shaw (18)- Alden is kind and well-mannered but also prideful. His uncle is the mayor and his mom is sick.**

**Athena Furmerson (13)- She is a tom-boy. Her brother was the victor of the 86****th**** Hunger Games.**


	13. Chapter 13: D12 Reapings: Stab of Sorrow

**YESSSSS! The last reapings. I'm so excited to get to the fun stuff. Reapings get really tedious because basically the same thing happens twenty-four times. But onto District Twelve Reapings.**

**Ilois Karmes' POV**

I wake up to the sound of screaming. My sister, Nathan, is having one of her rages again. I chuckle a little. Nathan is usually stone-faced; the exception is when she is angry. So it seems like she only has two emotions; indifference and anger. Luckily, she has some people who know her better than that. Once you get past her gruff exterior she is actually a really sweet girl. I roll out of bed and start my routine; pull on my skinny jeans, comb through my long chestnut hair and brush my teeth. I love routine; it seems like the only orderly thing in this hectic world. My life wasn't always crazy; we used to be the perfect family who everyone modeled themselves after. That lasted until my dad left us to become a Peacekeeper, I finally came out of the closet and when Aunt Treddi was widowed and had to move in with us. My family quickly fell in the sights of our neighbors. But I still think we are pretty lucky, my mom is the Mayor's secretary so we live in the nicer part of the district.

My stomach churns with nervousness as I finish my routine. The games were horribly nasty last year. Kids were cleaved in half, decapitated and burned to a crisp. During them I cried every night and I couldn't sleep for a whole month afterward. My heart was broken by Paxton and Cecelia's sweet relationship. They were so adorable together. Their gruesome death burns into my mind and I clamp my eyes shut tight. I rush back to my dresser and grab a picture. The picture is slightly worn; I take it with me when I'm nervous, but beautiful. In it are three smiling faces: my boyfriend, Henry, Nathan and I. Instantly I feel my body relax. With my boyfriend and my sister by my side I can do anything. I head down the stairs and see my friends. "We've been waiting for you Ilois," Nathan says testily. Henry rolls his eyes next to her with a huge grin on his face. Kayli and Connor beam next to them. I run down the remaining stairs and give them all a big hug. Kayli smiles extra wide when I hug her. I'm glad we're still friends. Kayli was the one who helped me discover where my attractions lie. We were dating when I told her. She seemed okay with it; she even set me up with Henry. We've now been dating for two years. Nathan's voice snaps me out of my nostalgia, "Come on Ilois. We aren't just going to magically transport to the reapings." And with that we make our way over to the reapings.

~0~

When we all separate into our different sections I grip my picture even tighter. Luckily Henry is nineteen so he's no longer eligible for reapings. But that still leaves Nathan, Connor, Kayli and I to worry about. I try to drone out the speeches and the games propaganda, instead I just study the picture, trying to memorize every feature. But when the escort reaches into the bowl I wince. "Lissy Gremmons." I feel a stab of sorrow. Lissy has asthma that will be a real hindrance during the games. But that her being reaped was not as bad as what would come next. "Ilois Kames."

Fear clings to every inch of my body. Tears spring from my eyes and my stomach does a twirl. But robotically, I make my way to the stage. When I'm almost to the top I hear screaming. "I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" Confused I turn around and see my sister, Nathan, trying to run to the stage. Instantly she is intercepted by Peacekeepers.

"That's silly," the escort says, "you must be a jokester. Girls can't volunteer anymore. You were too late. Lissy Gremmons is the one who gets to go into the games." And with that Nathan starts howling and is dragged away from the square. I search the crowd for Henry. He has collapsed into someone's arms. He has fainted from shock. _Huh, that's not a bad idea._ I think as I collapse to the floor.

**Levi Juno's POV (victor from the 87****th**** Hunger Games)**

I look out into the crowd from my mentor seat on stage. I see Orion and Aaron beaming at me and giving thumbs up signs. I wearily smile back at them. Butterini, the world's stupidest escort, takes the stage and starts blabbing. As if I haven't heard enough of her already. I quickly tone her out, like I do whenever she starts to talk. When I come to I find myself nervously tugging at the end of my skirt. I guess the nervousness for the reapings never goes away. Butterini calls the names and two teens mount the stage. I instantly recognize the boy, Ilois. We're the same age, seventeen, and in the same classes at school. But I honestly don't know much about him. But I do know he looks ridiculous in those hot pink skinny jeans. And I know the girl, Lissy, is a year older than me. I wonder how she'll take to my authority. Soon a young girl sprints to the stage screaming that she volunteers. I feel a pang in my chest and tears clouding my eyes. No one volunteered for me. I had to go into the games alone. I didn't even have a mentor. But now I'm the mentor and I have to send these two doomed teens into it. But at least now I have Orion and Aaron to help me through it. With that thought I was relieved. But that was before Ilois passed out. Yep, they're totally screwed.

**Lissy Gremmons' POV**

I get up early and run to Shane's house. He's a year older than me, nineteen, so he is forced to work in the mines. Therefore I hardly ever get to see him. I would like to see my dad too. He is also a miner, but he is very devoted to his job and is working this morning. He has this deluded idea that if he works harder than everyone else he will get more rewards. Usually that is actually true, the very saying has been passed down through my family for centuries, but in the District Twelve coal mines everyone is treated like dirt. I sprint down the corner of the Seam and finally reach Garret's house. The strain from running makes me hunch over with my hands on my knees. My chest compresses and I can't suck anymore air in. I fumble at my belt for my inhaler and quickly take a couple puffs of it. My lungs are instantly rewarded. I sigh; I would be so screwed without my inhaler. I continue on to his door and knock. Garret's smiling figure comes out to greet me.

"Hey Lissy," he greets. I burst into a coughing attack before greeting him back. At my hacking he scowls. "Curse those mines. Even when we don't have to work it affects us." I nod with a scowl on my own face. Since my dad is a respected man the mayor let me work in the mines when I was fourteen to earn some extra money. But I was soon pulled out of the job because of my asthma. But just the floating coal dust around the district is enough to trigger an attack.

"Enough about that Garret. Let's talk about happy things while we have time," I say.

~0~

We talk about everything and anything. Even until the point we had to separate so I could get in my age group. A couple of times I talked so fast and so much I had to take a couple puffs on my inhaler. But it was worth it; I love being with Garret. I'm at ease all throughout the speeches. It's my last year eligible for reaping. And if I've made it six years I can definitely do another. But my dreams are shattered with the next name. "Lissy Gremmons."

**Ilois Kames' POV**

I come to on a big plush couch with my family by my side. When they see I'm conscious they immediately attack me with kisses. So we basically hold each other and cry. But it felt so good to be with them. But all too soon they are taken away. Next Henry walks through the door but is quickly yanked back by a Peacekeeper. "Ah, ah, ah. We don't want the gays together," snarls the Peacekeeper. "You'll never see each other again." And with that he drags a sobbing Henry away. I feel myself flop down to the floor sobbing. I couldn't even say goodbye to him.

**Lissy Gremmons' POV**

My parents run in, coal dust puffing from them with their every movement. The coal dust immediately makes me start gasping for air. With that my parents start bawling. We all know I'm dead without my inhaler, which I am not allowed to take with me. We cry and hold each other, trying to fit as much love I would have got the rest of my life into five minutes. Unfortunately, it was still not proportional. A Peacekeeper drags them away and I start bawling harder than before. A figure appears through my teary sight, it is Garret. He immediately presses his coal-dusted lips to mine. Everything else disappears except for the kiss. The tears even stop for a moment. But when we pull away everything comes crashing back. "It's sad that this is what made me work up the nerve to talk to you," Garret cries. I nod and grip his hand like a vise. "But I love you, Lissy. You've been the best friend ever." A Peacekeeper bangs open the door. Garret leans in and gives me another kiss before following the Peacekeeper out. He's bawling when he leaves. He knows that it is the last time he will see his best friend.

**Hope you liked it.**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowen (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **

**D10**

**Conner McRobbie (14)- he is shy around people he doesn't know but really outgoing and funny around those he knows well. He is smart but has a really mean brother. He is bullied and a bit of a nerd.**

**Michelle Germia (14)- is Conner's best friend. She is really funny. She has family problems and her parents hate each other. **

**D11**

**Alden Shaw (18)- Alden is kind and well-mannered but also prideful. His uncle is the mayor and his mom is sick.**

**Athena Furmerson (13)- She is a tom-boy. Her brother was the victor of the 86****th**** Hunger Games.**

**D12**

**Ilois Kames (17)- He is happy-go-lucky but sensitive. He is also a homosexual.**

**Lissy Kames (18)- She is sweet to her friends. She also has a bad case of asthma. **


	14. Chapter 14 The Train: Challenge Accepted

**I'm a part of this story called **_**Bring Them to Their Knees **_**by 24tributes24authors. It's an elaborate production and I think it is pretty cool. So I encourage you guys to check it out. **

**Spencer Larenstien's POV**

A strange feeling presses down on my insides. I already know the feeling and why it is happening. The answer is simple: training withdrawals. The time it happened before was when I tore my ACL and had to rest for what seemed like forever. I was aching to get my hands on a spear and practice. And I ache for that spear again today. My mother thought my withdrawals were odd because some people hate to train. But not me, I absolutely love it. Without training I'm not really the same person, I have nothing to define me.

I look out the window of the train and grin. Instantly the ache for my spear is put to shame by my longing to get into the games. The games will be great fun: killing, hunting and spears galore. I have a guaranteed win because I'm such a beast. But I hope there will at least be a challenge. That way I can really show off my skills. I flip myself onto my bed and begin to daydream about what the games might bring. I am interrupted by a knock at the door. Groaning, I roll off of my bed and answer the door. My district partner, Beatrix Pietro, is standing there. I glare at her but she just stares at me with a look of indifference on her face. I raise my eyebrow, puzzled. This girl is the first person who has ever stood tall during my glares. That's when I connect the dots. This girl is the sociopath. The one that killed her brother without a feeling, that's why she didn't seem to care when her friend got shot point blank. I feel the glare and puzzlement wash off my face and a wicked grin spread. I have found my challenge and it has been accepted.

**Chriselda Clarke's POV**

My district partner is incompetent. There is absolutely no way I can put my trust in him. Unfortunately, Blain and I are allies because we are both in this year's career pack. But that just means I'll have to keep my guard up at all times. And it's not like I don't trust him because he is bloodthirsty for no reason (though that is one of the reasons), but also because he doesn't strategize or even think before he acts. That way he'll unintentionally get us all killed. Luckily I have spotted his flaws right away and have a plan to stop him from destroying us all. I cringe slightly at the thought of the plan; it's incredibly ingenious but involves certain death for quite a few people. And I really don't like to kill. But if it's between my life and theirs, my life wins hands down every time. Especially when half the reason I came into the games was to make sure that my younger brother would never have too. When my plan is set into action it will take out people that stand in my way of becoming victor and quench my family's Hunger Games dreams. All I have to do is convince the other careers. As the thought comes into my mind I run my fingers through my gorgeous hair and pucker my full lips; persuasion always has come easy to me.

**Griffin Tecknit's POV**

As soon as I set foot in the train my curiosity went into overload. This place is so huge and is bound to have secrets and knowledge somewhere. I nod at the chattering escort until he leaves to redo her makeup for dinner. By that time I have already padded down the hallway and started to explore. I head to the caboose of the train and start there. In the caboose they had a lot of storage. There were extra clothes, food, furniture and the necessities of keeping a train up and running. I wander through more train compartments and find the five Avoxes' room, the kitchen, our bedrooms, the cook's bedroom, the dining hall and a snacking compartment. But so far I've found nothing worthy of note. Even though I have checked every nook and cranny I come up with nothing exciting. The Capitol must work extremely hard to erase the evidence of previous tributes

I was feeling slightly glum when I walk into the room next to the driver's compartment. I open the door and immediately gasp. It was a library. Eagerly, I run up and down the shelves tracing my hand along the books' spines. There are so many adventures to be had and so much knowledge to be gained by reading these books. As I continue down the shelves I beam; this library is so much bigger than the one in District Three. When I get down to the last shelf I am puzzled. There is a thin, unmarked book it is sprawled over the top of the other books as if someone frantically tried to throw it. Gingerly, I pick up the book and open it. It read:

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm so dead. Just this morning I was reaped into the 60__th__ Hunger Games. Being from District Three I am not very well prepared for the games. Well, at least brawn-wise but with my smarts I am well prepared. But that's not going to help me very much. I have accepted my fate, my certain death. But I think I can help others out through this journal. After my experience with the Capitol I'll write down my knowledge. I just hope you future tributes will have use of it. And if you discover this journal, write down your own experiences. It will give future tributes a better chance. Just when you're off of the train and done with this journal, give it to the tall, ginger Avox with the glasses. She will take care of the rest._

_Best Wishes,_

_Jane Robins of District Three:_

_Tribute of the 60__th__ Hunger Games _

I gasp with excitement. Maybe this book will help me have a better chance during the games. I eagerly thumb through it, seeing many different tributes were adventurous and smart enough to find the book and follow through with Jane's wishes. I open to the last written on page; it's from the 85th Hunger Games. That year the tribute had gotten down to the final two. All was in her favor until it became a battle of brawn and she perished.But a girl from the final two, maybe this book does have some useful information.

I hear stomping outside the hall. It's our lazy escort stomping down the hall hollering that it's time for dinner. With a sly smile I take the journal and tuck it into my belt, covering it with my shirt. Then I follow my escort to dinner.

**Zea Chrysler's POV**

I've never felt this alone before in my life, not even after my father was killed by some viscous sea creature. I lay on my back in my room trying to cry, but nothing comes. Depression is hanging around me but I have trained myself to not shed tears easily. I did that because I had the responsibility of taking care of my siblings and with little kids if one person breaks down everyone else is sure to follow. I think of the games; I used to train for the games nonstop, but when my parents died I had to quit training to be able to take care of my siblings. Therefore the other careers could crush me, but I could handle tributes from the outlying districts that have had absolutely no training. Within the depression a new feeling arises; determination. I am determined to beat everyone, including the careers, and then I could come home and take care of my siblings with tons of new resources from winning the games. Then they wouldn't be sent to the wretched orphanage. All I have to do is win, but everyone knows how hard that will be.

**Azaela Mourey's POV**

My fear of the games has been temporarily overshadowed with anger. How dare they pick me? As a result I have made it my new life goal to make everyone else's life as miserable as possible. At dinner, as soon as I am done scarfing down my food, I send my glare around the table mentally daring someone to try and tame me. My district partner Atlas is that person. "Azzy, what's wrong?" he asks being his usual, annoying and outgoing self.

"Oh, nothing is wrong at all. I feel just peachy that I've been sent to fight to the death with twenty-three other kids. Most of which are bigger and stronger than me with gobs more experience. I feel just peachy," I sing-song, layering up the sarcasm.

"Azzy," Atlas warns.

That's when I snap at him, my moodiness on overdrive. "_No one_ calls me Azzy except for my FRIENDS! And in case you haven't noticed, I hate you!" I punctuate the end of my rampage with a shriek. I pop up, sending my chair flying back. I take the table in both hands and wrench it up. Food and plates go flying everywhere. The others around the table fall to the ground all with food and utensils raining down on them. A giant bowl of pudding falls right onto Atlas' head. I start laughing. Pudding slops down from the bowl and covers Atlas. After seeing the chaos I created, I turn and head back to my room laughing the whole way.

**Aileen McGowan's POV**

Fear is a strange feeling. I'm not very used to it even though I love to take risks. But this was one risk I was not willing to chance. Too bad it was against my will. The closest thing to fear I've had is pre-game jitters before a soccer tournament and even then it was partly excitement. But maybe it would help to get another perspective; learn to play all the positions on the field. If I really thought this was a game then this paralyzing fear was just pre-game jitters. And the tributes were just the opposing team. I've always been really competitive, driven to win. This game shouldn't be any different, I need to win it. If I close my eyes real tight maybe it would be just like a soccer game. I'd have the same hatred of losing, but this time it was more serious because losing meant certain death.

**Hope you enjoyed it. Remember to check out **_**Bring Them to Their Knees**_** by 24tributes24authors.**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowan (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **

**D10**

**Conner McRobbie (14)- he is shy around people he doesn't know but really outgoing and funny around those he knows well. He is smart but has a really mean brother. He is bullied and a bit of a nerd.**

**Michelle Germia (14)- is Conner's best friend. She is really funny. She has family problems and her parents hate each other. **

**D11**

**Alden Shaw (18)- Alden is kind and well-mannered but also prideful. His uncle is the mayor and his mom is sick.**

**Athena Furmerson (13)- She is a tom-boy. Her brother was the victor of the 86****th**** Hunger Games.**

**D12**

**Ilois Kames (17)- He is happy-go-lucky but sensitive. He is also a homosexual.**

**Lissy Gremmons (18)- She is sweet to her friends. She also has a bad case of asthma. **


	15. Chapter 15: Chariots: Creeper Capitol

**I saw **_**The Dark Knight Rises**_**. It was so awesome. **

**Winter Hostage's POV**

Everyone seemed so thrilled by the train. Frankly, I didn't see a single reason to be pleased. I mean, it did take us one step closer to our deaths. But since then things have only gotten worse. I was shoved mercilessly into a small, cramped room with three deranged, brightly colored monsters. The neon yellow one insisted on spraying me with some water while the red one tried to strip me of my clothes. I struggled instantly. Red lost his grip on my leg and I kicked him in the face. When the blood came rushing out of his nose it matched the color of his skin, it gave the illusion that he was melting. With Red taken care of I spun to Yellow and ripped the hose out of her bright hand. I turned the nozzle around and sprayed the water in her face. "NOOO! NOT MY MAKEUP! I'M RUINED. NOOOOOOOOOOO!" she shrieks.

"We got a struggler. Code Red!" shouts Red. I'm about to kick him again to silence his annoyingly flamboyant voice when I see a flash of blue and a syringe plunging into my shoulder.

~0~

I wake up in an even worse mood then when I was trapped with the stylists a.k.a. monsters. I was sprawled in the back of a chariot with an angry girl with a bob kicking me none to gently. "Wake up," she hisses. "I will not have my district partner ruin my reputation." I gasp at the thought, this bratty ginger as my district partner. I roll over and climb to my feet. I turn to glare at my partner but I was cut short when she punched me in the balls. I instantly flop back to my knees and groan.

"You b-," I squeak in an embarrassingly high voice due to my pain. But the girl didn't even let me finish.

"That is not my name. I am Nora Finch." I look at her, praying that she isn't my partner. But my hopes are dashed when I see that we are both wearing matching outfits. The same cursed skin-tight pants that no man should be forced to wear. Nora digs her toe into my ribs. "Get up!" She hollers. I clench my teeth together and bring back my fist to take a swing but once again feel the needle jab into my shoulder.

"This one is trouble," I hear a far away voice grumble. But the voice had got it all wrong, I wasn't trouble she was! But I couldn't protest because just then everything faded away.

**Lindsey Meyer's POV**

I know the games are evil but right now I can't help feeling like a princess. _The games are evil. The games are evil. The games are evil. _ I repeat over and over but I can't help but feel giddy when my stylist pulls out a huge frilly gown. She helps me into it. The other three stylists even have to help because it is so elaborate. I'm just like a princess. And with that thought I beam brightly. "Looks like we have a beauty this year," my stylist sing-songs.

I blush furiously. "What about the makeup? I've never worn that before, I've never even seen it!" I blabber eagerly. The stylists gasp at that.

"No makeup? What has this world come to?" they ask.

"And I've never done my hair either."

That brings another gasp. "We just have to get started right away. One of the stylists bathes my face in makeup while the others curl and brush my hair with an occasional spray of this funny smelling stuff. I tell them of my family's beliefs about the sea monster of District Four, the great hairy beast of Seven and the great big plants that can gobble you up. Most people dismiss those as childish fantasies but my family believes. And so did the stylists, they hung onto every word. Occasionally they added their own input.

"I've heard of the hairy one. Debby at the hair place said his name was Sasquatch."

"That's nonsense of Debby. Everyone knows his name is Bigfoot."

That carried on until the main stylist gasped. "You look gorgeous, Lindsey!"

"Like a princess?" I ask.

"No, like a queen."

With that I hug them all. "I love you guys."

**Michelle Germia's POV**

Conner grips my hand as the horses start pulling out. He steadies me and I use my other hand to grab the horse's reins. I am so thankful I have a friend to help me through this. I had already looked at the other chariots. The partners were hostile to each other, standing as far apart as possible. That one boy, Winter, had even tried to hit his sweet, innocent little girl of a district partner. But we would never do that, Conner and I have been friends since birth. We will stick with each other and help each other.

"I've never rode a horse before. Even though there is a ton of them in the district. But I guess it makes sense because our families aren't in that spectrum of ten. Have you ever ridden one?" I ask him.

"And you know I haven't, besides in that one dream where Farmer Joe actually let me. The dream didn't quite cover that they smell," he says.

"Or their talent for pooping and walking at the same time," I laugh.

"I wish I could do that," Conner says.

I slug him in the shoulder, "I did not need that image." Just then all the cameras pointed at us.

"It's time to smile and wave," he says.

"I don't think I could ever smile with that image in my head," I retort. But instead I think of our friendship and begin to beam.

**Omarad's POV (a creepy dude from the Capitol)**

Last year's games were so amazing! But then I went into post-games depression like I always do after the games. I had to wait a whole entire year. Ugh. I wish the games were semi-annual. I gave the man my ticket and he led me to the trail-side seats. This year I'm viewing the Chariot rides from the best seat in the house. When the tributes come out I scream as loud as possible. I can already tell these will be a good game. Spencer and Beatrix come out glaring. They're wearing all black except for a long cape made entirely out of jewels. Typical careers, but they always please me.

District Two came with a big applause. Both Chriselda and Blain were wearing tight Peacekeeper uniforms. Chriselda had a slight smirk painted on her face, but when she turned around to me she winked. Ahhhh! I almost died. Everyone cat-called but I am pleased to say that mine was the loudest.

District Three followed with a considerably less loud cheer. They were both in all black with LED lights flashing. They had ski masks on so I couldn't tell who was who. But the smaller figure was bouncing up and down and generally spazzing out. I assume that was Spark. So the other one must be Griffin.

Zea and Tristan came on with the biggest cheer yet. They both had mermaid fins. Though Zea had a bikini top and I circlet in her hair while Tristan was bare-chested with rippling muscles and a trident. I have to say they were both quite stunning.

The idea from District Five was unique. They both wore outfits twisting into the form of DNA. Maybe I'll add a thing like that into my next shopping trip.

All the other Districts so far, besides the careers, have been smiling. But Aileen was not. She looked grim faced and determined. That was odd from District Six but I quickly jotted her name down in my Hunger Games notebook. She may need some further looking into.

I gasp as District Seven rolls into view. They were both wearing paint splattering clothing but that's not the weird part. The weird part was that Winter was slumped over the front of the chariot and wearing sunglasses. But Nora quickly stole my attention. She was so adorable. I could just squeeze her baby cheeks all day long.

My attention wanders from Seven when Eight comes by. Cieeraloon was lying on the horse posing while Dave just looked horribly confused. There sure are a lot of fun tributes this year.

Nine came out bright and smiling. Well, at least Lindsey did. Her partner, Kevin, looked like he was about to die. I take out my notebook and cross out Kevin's name. He'll be a goner for sure.

District Ten didn't even have a chariot this year. They both wore cavemen costumes and rode the horses. I could see that they were holding hands. I smile; I always love it when the tributes know each other. It makes everything much more dramatic.

District Eleven was not that exciting. They just wore average white clothing. White like a ghost. With that thought I laughed, I'm so hilarious.

Finally District Twelve pulled in. They were coal miners, again. As usual the outlying districts are boring. But the more people to fight the better. I look back down at my list. The 88th Hunger Games will definitely be interesting.

**Winter Hostage's POV**

I wake up on my bed in pajamas. My thoughts flash back to Nora. I finally remember her from the district. She was the one who never got in trouble, who was a goody-two-shoes. But it was all an act. That Nora girl will definitely be trouble and she's already made her first enemy.

**Hope you liked it. **

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowan (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **

**D10**

**Conner McRobbie (14)- he is shy around people he doesn't know but really outgoing and funny around those he knows well. He is smart but has a really mean brother. He is bullied and a bit of a nerd.**

**Michelle Germia (14)- is Conner's best friend. She is really funny. She has family problems and her parents hate each other. **

**D11**

**Alden Shaw (18)- Alden is kind and well-mannered but also prideful. His uncle is the mayor and his mom is sick.**

**Athena Furmerson (13)- She is a tom-boy. Her brother was the victor of the 86****th**** Hunger Games.**

**D12**

**Ilois Kames (17)- He is happy-go-lucky but sensitive. He is also a homosexual.**

**Lissy Gremmons (18)- She is sweet to her friends. She also has a bad case of asthma. **


	16. Chapter 16: Training Day One: Dead Man

**Chriselda Clarke's POV**

After breakfast I rushed down to the training center for our first day of training. I have been studying the careers and believe I can be the leader. I am strong, smart and sexy. I think that makes me qualify for the perfect career. Blain soon bursts out of some large, gilded doors and sprints straight to the weapons. "Chriselda, these things are sick!" he shouts picking up a mace. "They're way better than the ones back home." I'm soon entranced by a gorgeous and deadly looking sword. Blain grins wickedly and I'm about to join him when District One and District Four enter.

"It looks like we have our career group," I announce. Blain and Spencer grin mischievously while Beatrix and Tristan appear stoic. I look down the row and see a petite little girl. Her big green eyes stare up at me; she looks like a deer in headlights. Tristan sees my hard look and steps forward to defend his district partner.

"Looks can be deceiving. Little Zea here has had training. She can handle herself," he says.

I smile slightly, "If you say so." He steps back with a nod and Zea sighs. I grin after that. No one has challenged my spot as head career. "Today be on the lookout for any potential careers from outlying districts. There always seem to be a couple of random contenders. Also look for easy prey. Other than that, just wreak your havoc." Before I even stopped talking, everyone rushed to their favorite weapon. Elation washes over me. I run a good career group. That's the first step in my plan.

~0~

The weapons were awesome. But I made sure I wasn't totally immersed in them. I had to be on the lookout for potential threats, allies and prey. Nobody else showed up for another thirty minutes. I wasn't impressed with many of them. Most of the tributes were incredibly scrawny but there were a couple whose muscles rippled beneath their tight training clothes. Tristan approaches me. "I think we should recruit Alden Shaw. He looks pretty handy with a sword," he says. I follow Tristan's finger and see Alden disarm his sparring partner, gracefully pressing his blade against his neck. I nod; it looks like this kid knows his stuff.

Alden bends over and offers his defeated opponent a hand. He helps him to his feet. "I think I need a break, Alden," he pants. "I'll have someone else help you."

Alden nods politely. "Thank you sir." His sparring partner limps away while I walk in front of Alden.

"Nice work, Alden. How did you get so good at sword fighting?" I ask.

"My family is well off, back in District Eleven. My uncle is the mayor. He decided my cousin and I needed a sport to keep us busy. He thought fencing would be great, it taught me a lot," Alden replies.

"How would you like to join the careers?" I offer.

Alden smiles with pride, "That would be great."

**Aileen McGowan's POV**

I pick up a bow, feeling confident. I have a good aim; it'll be just like making a goal in soccer. I pull back on the string and let an arrow fly. It misses the target by a long shot and buries itself in the ground. I growl, frustrated. But I will not accept defeat. This time, I slow everything down and take my time. The arrow lands a little closer to the target. I sigh but nock another arrow, I guess everything takes practice.

I shoot and shoot and shoot. Everything else fades away except for my desire to succeed. After a couple of hours I can accurately shoot. I pull back the string and release. The arrow sails into the human-shaped target's neck. I grab for another arrow when someone grabs my elbow. Roughly, I shove the aggressor. "Hey," he shouts testily. "I was just trying to tell you that everyone else already left for lunch. You better go eat." I see that it is one of the instructors. Shrugging, I make my way to lunch.

~0~

When I get back, the archery station is all filled up. There was a career nailing all the targets while the rest of the group was doing even worse than when I first started. I decided the best use of my time was to find allies. I glance around and find that the careers have snatched up most of the contenders. Everyone else was just agonizingly average. I look around some more and finally find someone worth watching. It was a girl with auburn hair. She was sprinting through the obstacle course with admirable agility. She beats everyone else in the course by a considerable amount of time. She beams and I feel the tell-tale sign of competitiveness swell inside me. I march to the start of the course and the girl meets me there with a similar look of aggressiveness on her face. "Who are you?" I ask firmly.

"Athena," she says.

"Well Athena, get ready to race," I say. With that an instructor punches the timer and we both sprint off. I'm far ahead of her; my conditioning for soccer has paid off. That's when a sack nails me in the side. I tumble to the ground and the sack falls on top of me, pinning me to the ground. Athena sprints past me ducking and dodging as sacks attempt to hit her. I struggle to get out from underneath the sack. Finally I'm able to wriggle my upper body free and kick the sack off of my legs. I scramble to my feet and continue the sprint. This time I keep alert and dodge the flying sacks. I speed it up and start to catch up to Athena. Then came little hills, I sped up them easily. At the edge of the little hill was a rock climbing wall. Athena climbed it like a monkey and I trailed behind her. When I got up Athena was already on a rope, swinging across a pool filled with mud. I hurried after her. We landed in a pathway filled with punching bags. I shouldered my way through. I used my hip to clear the last bag and saw the homeward stretch. I sprint towards the finish while Athena was halfway there. I pump a little faster and burst in front of her just as we cross the finish.

After taking a second to catch our breath we look expectantly at the instructor. "It's a tie," he announces. Athena and I both groan.

"Ties are the worst."

"Best out of three," I offer.

"You're on!" Athena shouts. With that we race back to the starting line.

**Blain Spye's POV**

After a glorious day of weapon training we finally get a wannabe trailing us. Chriselda picked up on it right away. "Watch this," she whispers. She lets out a mischievous giggle before whipping around to face the wannabe. She growls and flips him over. He lands on his back with a grunt.

"We can't accept weaklings," I sneer, "but you can count on being my first victim."

"Just as I thought," the boy snaps.

"Who is this kid anyway?" Spencer asks.

"I'm Rodney. Want to pick up my biography, it's called _I hate the Capitol and the Careers_."

"Sassy," Chriselda giggles. Jealous at the attention Chriselda was giving Rodney, I dug my foot into his ribs.

"Hey!" an attendant yells. "No touching the other tributes."

With a growl I storm away. Everyone else soon follows. Unfortunately, that included Rodney. He buzzed around us the whole rest of the day. He was hanging on us, getting in the way, singing stupid songs. Ugh! I hate this guy! But each time I was about to make a fist, some Capitol guy would stop me.

"Blain, Blain, Blain, Blain. Blain. Blain. BLAINE!" Rodney repeats.

"What?!"

"Hi," Rodney grins. I groan and turn around again. He pokes me and tries to pretend it wasn't him. I hear Chriselda laugh and I nearly lose it.

"Just wait until we get into the arena! You are a dead man, Rodney!" I scream. With that I run as far away from Rodney as I can.

**Hope you liked it!**

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowan (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **

**D10**

**Conner McRobbie (14)- he is shy around people he doesn't know but really outgoing and funny around those he knows well. He is smart but has a really mean brother. He is bullied and a bit of a nerd.**

**Michelle Germia (14)- is Conner's best friend. She is really funny. She has family problems and her parents hate each other. **

**D11**

**Alden Shaw (18)- Alden is kind and well-mannered but also prideful. His uncle is the mayor and his mom is sick.**

**Athena Furmerson (13)- She is a tom-boy. Her brother was the victor of the 86****th**** Hunger Games.**

**D12**

**Ilois Kames (17)- He is happy-go-lucky but sensitive. He is also a homosexual.**

**Lissy Gremmons (18)- She is sweet to her friends. She also has a bad case of asthma. **


	17. Chapter 17: Training Day Two: Misfits

**Wow, it has been a long time. Sorry guys, since school started everything has been super crazy.**

**Kevin Hartman's POV**

I decided the health station would be a good place to go to. It seemed like it would be the handiest during the games. The man at the station smiled at me, he squinted looking at the name and district on my shirt. "Hello Kevin Hartman," he read aloud slowly. I nervously smiled back at him. But that's when he pulled out a picture of the human body. Instantly my stomach did a flip. The arteries and lymph nodes were all highlighted and the muscle and tissue looked as real as can be. He started blabbering in a language that could not have been English and I panicked a little. That's when he pulled out a picture of a tribute that got their hand cut off. Blood was everywhere. The world spun and I passed out.

**Atlas Harper's POV**

We sure have a lot of misfits this year. But hey, I'm not complaining that just gives me a heck of a lot better chance. The puny kid from nine, Kevin I believe, got queasy at the medical station and passed out. Nobody bothered to do anything though. They just dragged him to the corner until he woke up. But Kevin isn't the only strange and wimpy one around here. There is also his district partner, Lindsey. I talked to her once in order to see if she was competition. Turns out, she isn't. She is crazy; she talks in a faraway voice and fantasizes about a world filled with peace. What a nut. Then there is Spark and Cieeraloon. I think someone slipped something into their drinks because they are insane. Cieeraloon kept telling me that Flying Mint Bunny hates me and was going to slit my throat in the middle of the night. Then she spat at me. I have stayed away from that sadistic little girl ever since. I sigh, is there anyone decent enough to ally with?

At lunch I scan the area; taking in everybody. I see two girls, oddly both are ginger. I try to place them. After a moment of thought I remember them from training. They were the girls who were speeding through the obstacle course with great agility. Maybe I finally found someone decent enough to ally with. I walk up to them and boldly stick my hand out. "Atlas Harper, I'm your new ally," I say firmly.

The one with the auburn hair smiles. The name on her shirt reads Athena. But the other girl, Eileen, scowls at me. Her hair resembled flames and apparently she had a temper to boot. "Who are you? I don't want to just ally with anyone," she says carefully.

"Ahh, but I'm not just anyone. I am the grand Atlas Harper!" I boom. With that I grab a knife from the lunch table and throw it across the room. It lands right in the dish washer's pile of knives. I hear Athena gasp with amazement. I allow myself a grin. Actually I was aiming for the clock on the other side of the kitchen but I'll take what I can. Eileen studies me carefully. "So how about that alliance?" I ask her.

"We'll see," she says already walking back to the training room.

I turn to Athena. "That means yes," she translated for me.

**Sorry it was so short guys. Life is insane, I'm so busy. I'll make it better next time. **

**D1**

**Beatrix Pietro (18) - a sociopath.**

**Spencer Larenstien (16) - a cocky career.**

**D2**

**Chriselda Clarke (17)- a vain but highly skilled career. She doesn't like the harshness of training for the games and resents her family except her beloved brother.**

**Blain Spye (18): A career who kills for fun.**

**D3**

**Spark L'or (15) a very hyper girl.**

**Griffin Tecknit (16)- a socially awkward nerd. He is a real sweetheart but really quiet. **

**D4**

**Tristan Rinto (15)- a highly trained career. His dad is a former victor and extremely strict. Tristan is mostly silent.**

**Zea Chrysler (12)- is an orphan taking care of her two younger brothers. Her father died of an unknown sea creature attack. Timid and independent, but she has a terrible fear of water. **

**D5**

**Azaela Mourey (18)- a snarky jerk who's dad died of an experiment gone wrong.**

**Atlas Harper (17)- a cocky guy. **

**D6**

**Aileen McGowan (15)- a really competitive girl. She is a soccer player.**

**Rodney Loranson (16)- a capitol hater.**

**D7**

**Winter Hostage (17)- a depressed kid who's dad died of too much alcohol.**

**Nora Finch (16)- her parents died in a lumber accident. Her sister later disappeared in the woods. She was raised by her grandma. Her best friend's brother was killed in the games. And her best friend is dating Nora's crush. **

**D8**

**Cieeraloon Electra (13)- an insane, sadistic girl with lots of imaginary friends.**

**David "Dave" Levin (16)- is part of a nine member family. He is the middle child and feels like he always gets the short end of the stick.**

**D9**

**Lindsey Meyers (14)- an extremely quirky girl. Her and her family have weird beliefs. She loves art and loves to paint.**

**Kevin Hartman (13)- a janitor for the factory. He hates blood. **

**D10**

**Conner McRobbie (14)- he is shy around people he doesn't know but really outgoing and funny around those he knows well. He is smart but has a really mean brother. He is bullied and a bit of a nerd.**

**Michelle Germia (14)- is Conner's best friend. She is really funny. She has family problems and her parents hate each other. **

**D11**

**Alden Shaw (18)- Alden is kind and well-mannered but also prideful. His uncle is the mayor and his mom is sick.**

**Athena Furmerson (13)- She is a tom-boy. Her brother was the victor of the 86****th**** Hunger Games.**

**D12**

**Ilois Kames (17)- He is happy-go-lucky but sensitive. He is also a homosexual.**

**Lissy Gremmons (18)- She is sweet to her friends. She also has a bad case of asthma. **


End file.
